Next Time
by CodeLyokoIsTheBest
Summary: Number 3 in the 'Time' trilogy. Four years later and everything's fine. But what happens when the pathway out of limbo is discovered for the first time? The Teens Next Door do whatever it takes to close it again.
1. Prologue

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door and I never will.**_

_**So, here we are again. The beginning of the end. ^^**_

_

* * *

Chapter One - Prologue_

Limbo was a strange place. There were no trees, oceans or sky. Everything was an endless white; a white that would bore you for all eternity.

Aging was also impossible in limbo, so there was no death to save you either. For the rest of your life, you would be forced to watch the white. After more than five years trapped there, you would go insane. You would forget everything about yourself. Your name, age and the reason you were there in the first place.

Three figures floated in the shining light. One was old and had wrinkles everywhere. The other two were younger, not even adults. They were having a heated discussion.

They were planning to escape.

_**

* * *

Yep, just an introduction. I will give a cookie to anyone who knows who these people are.**_


	2. Just Like Old Times

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door and I never will.**_

_**Just another introduction chapter so you can see where the operatives are now. Enjoy. :D**_

_

* * *

Chapter 2 – Just Like Old Times_

Sixteen year old Melissa Gilligan spread herself out on her bed. She turned the volume up on her iPod and sighed.

It had been a long day. She had just finished her athletics training. She had started when she was almost thirteen, deciding to use her agility and speed to her advantage. Boy, had that been a good idea. Not only had she found something to do after school when her friends were busy, but her battle techniques had improved a considerable amount.

She turned her head to stare out the window, but then realised there wasn't one. When she was in the Kids Next Door, she had a room with a spectacular view. Now that she was in the Teens Next Door, that view was gone.

She and all her friends had made it into the Teens Next Door. It was just like old times, besides the fact that they were now teenagers and their base was no longer a tree-house.

Instead of the tall tree-house above their leader's house, they were now in an underground base called Sector 22. While the tree-house had mostly been about height, this was more about width. There was still more than one story, six to be exact. A lot less than the tree-house.

There was a crash from the living room. She sat up abruptly and tip-toed to her door. She crept down the hallway and stopped at the entrance to the living room. She poked her head out and relaxed immediately.

"Geez, Harry. What did you do this time?"

Harry Uno, the leader of Sector 22, was hopping around the room. He clutched his foot and rubbed his toes. He heard Melissa and quickly stopped, but he cringed as soon as his foot made contact with the floor.

"Just, um, stubbed my toe," he admitted sheepishly.

Melissa rolled her eyes as the door opened. Another boy walked into the room with books clutched to his chest. He saw them and smiled.

"Hey, Truman. How was the science thing?" asked Harry, glad to have a change of subject.

Truman shrugged. "It was the usual. Science, computers, all that stuff. I loved it."

Melissa laughed. Truman Kirman was the smartest person in the grade when it came to science and computers. The teachers had practically begged him to join the science club. They had a competition against the other schools in the area coming up, so they were practicing really hard. Not that they ever didn't.

"Yeah, if you like that sort of thing," said Harry.

"You don't even know what you want to do and we're nearing the end of high school," Melissa pointed out. "You're going to turn into a hobo."

"Nah, I'm not," said Harry. "I'll just get a wife who can get a job and do all the work."

"Harry," started another voice, "that's sexist."

Melissa wasn't unfazed that their spy, Celeste Stork, hadn't made a sound on her arrival. As they'd aged, her spy tactics had become second nature. No one ever heard her come inside anymore. She assured them she never spied on them, but very occasionally she came inside smirking as if she knew something she wasn't supposed to.

"What? I thought girls wanted to work," whined Harry.

"They do."

"Whatever. How was your English thing?"

Celeste grinned. "Very good, thank you."

Celeste wanted to be a journalist or a playwright. She hadn't decided yet, but Melissa knew she could do both. She took extra classes, including the drama club. She had just been with her English teacher, who was tutoring her after school every Tuesday.

"I don't know how you two can take extra classes," said Harry. "I'd be bored out of my mind."

"That's because you aren't interested in these things like we are," said Truman.

Before Harry could respond, shouting was heard in the underground pathway leading up to the door. They recognised the voices instantly.

"The Drilovskys are back," Melissa said.

'The Drilovskys' was a name for two of their operatives, Thomas and Kellie. No, they didn't have the same last name; Kellie's last name was Beatles. The two argued like a married couple all the time, which resulted in their teammates calling them 'the Drilovskys' behind their back. Melissa felt proud that she had come up with the name herself.

"And I'm telling you that the cheerleaders are just as important as the footballers!" shouted Kellie.

"No, they're not!" yelled Thomas. "They're just there to stand and look pretty!"

Kellie let out a snort. "We cheer and keep up people's spirits, even when you guys are losing!"

"You cheer for the footballers, so we're more important!" Thomas argued. "And we never lose!"

The two had just come back from the football field at school. Thomas had football practice, which was the only reason he tried to keep up good grades. He was one of the best players on the team, something even the toughest of students agreed on. However, sometimes the compliments went to his head and his ego became inflated. The rest of the team always put a stop to that.

Kellie was head cheerleader, but she hadn't always been like that. The previous one had been ruthless and mean, something that had needed to change. The other cheerleaders had ganged up on her and she had resigned. Everyone wanted Kellie to be the new head, and she accepted. But her dreams lied in dancing, especially ballet, another thing she was good at.

"Besides, cheerleading is dangerous! You could get hurt!" Thomas folded his arms across his chest.

"So could you!" Kellie countered. "A lot of injuries are caused by football!"

"Why do you care?" Thomas asked, his voice not wavering in the slightest.

"I don't!"

"Then neither do I!"

"Fine!"

"Yeah, fine!"

Unfortunately, when it came to each other, they were as clueless as Harry in science.

Melissa stepped between the two. "Now, you two. Stop fighting. Melissa thinks both your roles are important."

Kellie grinned and giggled. "Thanks Melissa!"

Thomas stared at the ground. "Yeah, whatever."

Harry yawned. "Let's watch some TV. I'm tired."

"Uh, I have homework to-"

Harry flicked Celeste in the forehead. "No, TV first."

Without warning, he picked Celeste up and threw her on the couch. She clutched her head in pain as he sat down next to her. He grinned, shoved his sunglasses on her and turned on the television.

"Fine, but only for half an hour," said Celeste. "Wait, don't you have to write those reports for the Soopreme T. Leaduh?"

Harry pursed his lips. "Yeah. Your point?"

Celeste threw his sunglasses at him and kicked him off the couch. "Get writing."

The other four laughed as Harry trudged to his room. He was muttering to himself, but grinning at the same time. No one in Sector 22 could ever be mad at each other for long.

_**

* * *

Okay, for those of you who read the last story, the poll is still going. I would have closed it by now, but there's a four way tie and it's annoying me. xD**_

_**And I will give a chocolate muffin to whoever knows why I called them Sector 22.**_


	3. Crisis After Crisis

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door and I never will.**_

_**Early update this time. I'm surprised I updated so soon. O.O Warning: there is fluff. Enjoy then! ^^**_

_

* * *

Chapter 3 – Crisis After Crisis_

Harry slouched over the desk. He had just finished writing his report to the Soopreme T. Leaduh. Numbuh 679 had been accepted into the Teens Next Door as well. He was only a week younger than Kellie, making him younger than everyone in the team. The Soopreme T. Leaduh's position had been vacant and he was asked to fill it almost immediately.

Harry suddenly thought about the day he had become a Teens Next Door operative. His birthday had been full of heartfelt goodbyes, which had made him sad. Then there had been the three weeks of pretending he didn't know anything, which was hard. He had felt a lot better when Thomas had joined him.

Melissa had come soon after, very surprised to see her friends. Celeste had arrived two months later, with Truman after another month and a half. When Kellie had joined them, they had a party to celebrate them all being together again. Kellie had even cried tears of joy.

"_I like-like you."_

Those words still brought butterflies to Harry's stomach after four years. Celeste had told him on his thirteenth birthday, believing he would forget everything. Watching her in those three weeks was the hardest. She had looked so upset, especially for the first few days.

Did she still feel the same way? He hoped so. He hadn't responded to her when she told him because he was so shocked. He regretted it now.

He stood up and stretched. He was about to get ready for a shower when he heard a scream from the entrance. He ran to the living room to see Celeste with her eyes wide and her face pale. The others were already there.

"Celeste, what happened?" asked Truman.

Celeste leant against the couch and took a deep breath. "My parents wanted to talk to me, so I went to them."

'_She left the base?_' thought Harry. '_Didn't even hear her, typical spy._'

"They told me they were going on vacation," she continued, "and that Aunt Katrina would be looking after me and the others."

Kellie screeched, "Aunt Katrina? You mean that grumpy lady cooking at your sweet sixteen?"

Celeste nodded frantically and Kellie screamed. Harry had heard about Aunt Katrina. She was Celeste's father's younger sister. She didn't have a husband or any children of her own, which was a good thing. She would have been so strict on them that the Kids Next Door and the Teens Next Door would be pulling their hair out from stress.

Celeste covered her mouth with her hand. "She's coming tomorrow and I need to clean out my wardrobe!"

"Don't worry about it," Harry reassured, but he was actually very angry. Aunt Katrina detested Celeste's sense of fashion, which was one of the best things about her. In his opinion, anyway.

"Can't Anita look after you?" Melissa asked, referring to Celeste's older sister.

Celeste shook her head. "She's too busy with college." She plunked onto the couch.

Melissa sat down next to her. "Just see how it goes."

"But you don't understand!" wailed Celeste. "She won't let me out of her sight unless I'm at school. That means I won't be able to come here, go on missions or hang out with you guys."

"How long are your parents going to be gone?" Truman questioned.

"A whole month," Celeste replied sulkily. "At least they'll be back before Christmas."

"Can't we just go all 'TND' on her if she does something?" asked Thomas. "From the sound of things, she'll probably break over fifty billion rules from the Kids and Teens Document."

No one answered him as Celeste stood up and sighed. "I better go clean out my closet and figure out what I'm going to do."

"You want some help?"

Celeste shook her head as she walked out the door.

* * *

Cleaning out her wardrobe was a tiring task, Celeste realised. Aunt Katrina hated all the clothes she had, except for the ones bought by the woman herself. Celeste preferred to wear only three colours: red, white and black, not the pale pinks and yellows Aunt Katrina bought her.

There were three boxes at the bottom of the closet, all containing the clothes she would never be caught dead wearing. Or, at least she thought that would be the case. Now she had to replace all her normal clothes with the "vomit clothes", as she liked to call them. All of them had been bought by her aunt, who never turned down the opportunity to buy her disgusting clothes.

However, she had another problem other than her clothes. What if she had to go a whole month without seeing her friends, except at school? She didn't want to spend time away from them, especially-

'_No, don't think like that_,' she scolded. '_Harry doesn't like you and that's that._'

When she had first seen Harry, Melissa and Thomas in the underground base, her heart had soared. A week after her arrival went by and Harry didn't say anything about her liking him, so she assumed he didn't like her. She would just have to get over him somehow, even if it pained her to do so.

It pained her _not_ to do so.

After packing away all her good clothes, she said goodbye to her parents. They were leaving that night because there was a problem with the flight they had booked beforehand. Anita would watch them only for that night, but starting tomorrow it would be Aunt Katrina's job.

Her brother pulled her over after their parents left. "What are we going to do about Aunt Katrina?"

Celeste sighed. "We can't do anything, Allen."

"You're the older one! You have to figure something out."

"Anita's the older one."

"Yeah, but she's too busy with college, isn't she?" said Allen, his hands making gestures all over the place.

Ignoring Allen, Celeste walked back up the stairs to her room and flopped onto the bed. She wanted to go to sleep early tonight. The next day would be a very long and gruelling process.

* * *

Lizzie Devine enjoyed evening walks. It calmed her down and helped her think. It was the only place she could, really. Being a teacher was a very stressful job. She wondered if her new school would be as bad as her old school. Why did she become a teacher if she hated children in the first place?

"Finally, we got out of limbo!"

Lizzie whirled around to see three people behind her. Had they been there before? What were they talking about?

"What's 'limbo'?" she asked.

One of the people, a girl, stepped forward. "Oh, we were stuck in one of those boring carnivals where all they do is advertise products that don't even work. 'Limbo' is the name of it."

"I've never heard of that," Lizzie snorted.

A boy slightly older than the girl said, "Are you interested in that sort of stuff then?"

"Ew, no," said Lizzie. "I'm a teacher. I know _everything_."

The two children exchanged glances. They looked at the old man standing between them. Their grandfather, perhaps? They whispered to each other, making Lizzie very impatient. She tapped her foot as loud as she could so they would notice her.

The girl came closer, too close for Lizzie's comfort. "Come with me, please." She dragged Lizzie behind a tree.

"Do you work at the local high school?"

Lizzie blinked a few times. "Yes, I'm starting tomor-"

"Can you keep tabs on some students for us?" the girl interrupted.

"Why should I do that?" Lizzie scowled and placed her hands on her hips.

"Because of this," said the girl, slowly pulling something out from her pocket.

It was a gun.

_**

* * *

There you go! Oh, for those of you who did vote in the poll, who did you pick? I'm interested. :D**_

_**-Shot for the fluff-**_


	4. The New Teacher

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door and I never will.**_

_**Hmm, not much to say today. Enjoy the chapter!**_

* * *

_Chapter 4 - The New Teacher_

Kellie cringed at the extra weight in her school bag. It was already heavy enough with her school books, lunch and cheerleading notes, but now it was even worse.

She had dug through her wardrobe and had found some clothes she could lend to Celeste. She had a lot of them because her sister, who had the same fashion sense as Celeste, had bought them for her. She would take them to school and Celeste would put them on for school hours, then take them off before she went home. Kellie liked wearing pale colours sometimes, but the clothes Aunt Katrina had given Celeste were just plain horrible.

She arrived at the gate with forty minutes to spare. A boy was leaning against the brick wall as if he was waiting for someone. When he saw Kellie, he straightened and coughed.

"Uh, Kellie? Could I talk to you?"

Kellie smiled. "Sure, Kade, what's up?"

Kade fiddled with the hem of his shirt. "Well, you see, um... I was wondering, um. Will you please go out with me?"

"Sorry, I can't," Kellie apologised. "But we can still be friends, right?"

Kade grinned and nodded. "Sure."

Kellie waved and watched Kade walk off. Her shadow in front of her grew taller. She spun around and was relieved to see it was only Thomas.

"_Another_ one?" he snapped before she could say anything.

Kellie rolled her eyes. "I don't get asked out _that_ often. Gosh."

Thomas snorted. "Whatever. Why do you turn them down, anyway?"

"Cause," said Kellie.

"That isn't an answer." He scowled as his eyes travelled to the extra weight on her shoulder. "Your bag looks heavier today."

Kellie nodded and started walking inside. "I brought some clothes for Celeste. I've seen the stuff her aunt buys for her. It's horrible." She stuck out her tongue in disgust.

"What's the big deal with girls and clothes? I mean, it doesn't really change anything," said Thomas, following the girl.

"Are you serious? Our clothes define us! The first thing people see is our appearance, not our personality! It's a judgement that lasts for a lifetime, unless you change your style, of course. Personalities count a lot, but will people really want to get to know you if you have a repulsive sense of style? Honestly." Kellie took a deep breath.

Thomas blinked a few times. "You girls never cease to amaze me."

Kellie was about to respond when she saw a familiar person standing near the entrance. A middle aged woman with red hair and glasses. She smiled at everyone as they passed her.

Kellie looked back at Thomas and saw that he was trying to identify her as well. "I know that person."

"From ages ago," said Kellie, nodding.

"Oh my gosh, it's Lizzie!" said Thomas, smacking his fist into his palm. "Remember Lizzie? Numbuh 1's old girlfriend?"

Kellie's eyes widened in realisation. "Oh, yeah! I remember seeing her when I was nine. The rest of us were there too. Will she remember us?"

Thomas shrugged. "Only one way to find out."

The two power-walked to the front door. You couldn't run to a teacher, it was too nerd-like. They climbed the stairs and stared Lizzie in the face. She didn't seem to recognise them at all. She smiled at them, just like she had with all the other students.

"Good morning," she welcomed.

"You don't recognise us, do you?" asked Kellie, but it was more of a statement than a question.

Lizzie shook her head. "No, I don't. Maybe you have the wrong person. I am Miss Devine, the new English teacher."

Kellie exchanged a glance with Thomas before saying, "You should recognise us. We met you when we were younger. I remember it clearly."

"Sorry, I don't remember you. Could you please go inside so others can get past?"

Kellie and Thomas frowned before obeying.

* * *

Harry leant back in his chair. His English teacher had left on maternity leave and a new teacher was starting to today. He would make the teacher's life a living hell. It was his right as a Teens Next Door operative to annoy his teachers. Even if he wasn't an operative, he'd still do it.

He tried to imagine himself without the Kids Next Door and the Teens Next Door. He would never have met the team or have been able to experience the adventures he loved. His personality, actions and relationships revolved around it. He shuddered at the thought of being a normal teenager. It would be too hard for him.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by the principal. The man's name was Mr Soot, and no one really liked him. This especially went for Sector 22.

"As you know, Mrs Dawn is having a baby," Mr Soot said. "She will be replaced by Miss Devine."

'_Eh?'_ thought Harry. '_I swear I've heard that name before.'_

A woman entered the room, her red hair reaching her mid-back. She looked sharp and sophisticated. In student speak, this meant "Mean teacher on the rise! Take cover!"

"Hello," she said. Her voice reminded Harry of the Wicked Witch of the West. "I am Lizzie Devine, but you shall call me Miss Devine. I will be your English teacher for the rest of the year."

Harry almost choked on his saliva. '_Lizzie Devine? As in _the_ Lizzie Devine?_'

"Be nice to her, it is her first day here," said Mr Soot. He marched out of the room, leaving Miss Devine to the class.

"Okay, I'll mark off your names and we can get started with the lesson."

As Miss Devine turned to the desk, Harry shut his eyes tight. He didn't want his name to be called out. What if Lizzie recognised him? He didn't want to be hated just because of his parents. He'd been through all that when he was nine.

"Harry Uno?" Miss Devine called, looking around the room.

"Here," Harry answered reluctantly.

To his surprise, Miss Devine continued without even a second glance at him. Didn't she know it was him? In any case, it was a relief.

But when he looked up again, he could have sworn she was staring at him. When she saw he was looking, her focus moved to her paper once more.

_**

* * *

Only a short one today. I have everything up to chapter 11 summarised. Review! :D**_


	5. Forest Fire

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door and I never will.**_

_**Here's another chapter! A few TND facts. Enjoy.**_

_

* * *

Chapter 5 – Forest Fire_

Lizzie had been asked to deliver her information to her blackmailers every day after work. They had found an abandoned underground facility in the mountains. She didn't know whether it belonged to them or not, but it was better not to ask. Normally, she would go inside, report, and then come back out. This time she decided to listen in on the conversation.

"I think Miss Devine has observed them enough It's been almost five days since she started," said the voice of the old man.

"I agree. We need to do something soon," the girl said, fake sweetness dripping in her voice.

"Suck up," insulted the boy.

"I am not."

"Uh, yeah you are."

"Both of you shut up! We'll start the fire tonight in the forest."

'_What fire?_' thought Lizzie in alarm.

She hid behind a stack of old wood when she heard footsteps. Just as she had completely concealed herself, the old man walked out. The two children followed behind. She watched them go down the tunnel leading to the exit. When they had left, she decided to follow them.

There was a staircase going down the mountain, something left over from the facility. She waited for them to be out of site before she started to descend. The stairs were steep, so she had to be careful. She wasn't exactly the most graceful person.

The stairs ended at the bottom of the mountain. She was just in time to see them enter the forest. She frowned. They weren't going to start a fire there, were they?

She shook her head. No, they couldn't do that. Secretly blackmailing someone was one thing, but setting a fire in a public place was another. If they became arsonists, the police would be all over them. That is, if they could find them. The base and the stairs were heavily concealed by plants and bushes. The only reason she knew how to get there was because she was shown.

A harsh light broke her train of thought. She looked at the forest and saw flames rising.

"Well, if it isn't Miss Devine," said someone from behind her.

She turned around to see the young blonde girl smirking at her.

* * *

'_Mission alert, mission alert, mission alert_.'

Harry groaned. "Ugh, why on Sunday afternoon? I have, like, seven assignments to finish."

Melissa smacked him on the head. "Because you always wait until the last minute, fool."

A large screen had been built between Harry and Kellie's rooms to receive messages. In the Kids Next Door, a communication officer would inform them of their missions. The Teens Next Door had the privilege of seeing the Soopreme Leader himself. The reason was mainly because, compared to the Kids Next Door, the Teens Next Door was a small organisation.

Numbuh 679 appeared on the screen, and he didn't look very happy. "Someone's deliberately set a fire in the forest near- Wait, where's Celeste?"

Celeste hadn't been allowed outside her house after Aunt Katrina had arrived. She went to school and went straight home again, except for when she had her extra classes on Tuesdays.

"She has an aunt problem," Harry answered.

Numbuh 679 raised an eyebrow. "Yikes. Well, do you know which forest I'm talking about?"

Harry nodded. "The one near that huge mountain, right?"

"Yeah. We don't know who caused it, but hopefully they're still at the scene. Report when you're done. Good luck." Numbuh 679 flickered off the screen.

Harry readjusted his sunglasses before yelling, "Teens Next Door, battle stations!"

The team gathered their weapons and ran out of their headquarters. For missions, they used tubes to get outside. They would be sucked into the Uno's backyard and would continue from there. The forest wasn't too far away from where they were. It was small, which meant it would spread to the town quicker.

As they got closer, they saw people running in the opposite direction. Some where parents, screaming for their children and others were fleeing from their homes near the forest. They could see the large smoke cloud towering over the forest. They picked up speed and reached the site within three minutes.

The fire was out of control. It hadn't reached the houses yet, but it was close. The firemen were already there, which made them all groan. The fire-fighters were always a hindrance to Kids and Teens Next Door activities with all of their "Let's keep kids safe" business.

"Hey, you kids. You aren't supposed to be here!" a fireman called to them from the truck.

Sector 22 took no notice, instead readying their water-based weapons. The fireman ran towards them, but he was too late. They sprayed all their water onto the forest. Truman and Thomas moved to the other side to balance it out. Within a matter of minutes, the fire was out.

"Kids! Hey, wait!"

The team ran into the forest, hoping to find clues as to who had set the fire. They searched high and low, checked every tree-trunk and bush. Even though the fire would have destroyed any evidence, it was still a practiced routine. The enemy might come back, but only if they were really lucky.

They had split up to look for these things, but eventually met each other in the heart of the forest. Nothing was green anymore and there were ashes everywhere. It was a disaster zone.

"Nothing, I'm guessing," said Harry. Everyone shook their heads. "Well, we better go and report to Numbuh 679."

"But this was so random," Truman commented. "Normally we find something or there are clues beforehand."

"This guy must be tricky," said Melissa, deep in thought. "He or she covered up their tracks well."

"Well, duh," Thomas said. "The fire destroyed everything, remember?"

"That's true," said Harry. "We have to get out of here first, though."

Kellie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and face those firemen."

Every single time the Teens Next Door put out a fire, the fire-fighters would ask them how they did it. The scientists had developed a special substance – not to be confused with water – used especially for putting out fires. The scientists had a long name for it, but it was commonly known as 'Aqua.'

"Come on team, let's go."

Harry started walking, but Melissa pulled him back. He shot her a questioning look and she sighed.

"I just noticed. There are a lot more burnt leaves here than any other place I've seen in this forest. It could be a trap," she explained.

"Let me check," Truman said, digging into his pocket. He pulled out a packet of gum and dropped it on the leaves. They waited a few seconds, but nothing happened.

Harry grinned. "See? Everything's fine."

After he'd made that remark, rumbling came from the ground. They ran as far away as they could and just missed the edge of something metal. It had come from underground, but there wasn't much dirt on it. Fairly new, they guessed.

It was a metal prison cell.

Thomas was breathing heavily from the shock. "What was that about everything being fine?"

"Oh, shut up. Let's go back to the headquarters and send our report," said Harry.

_**

* * *

I think the TND would be more advanced than the KND. They do the missions that are too dangerous for kids to handle.**_

_**Review, pretty please! I will give you a cookie! 8D**_


	6. Waiting

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door and I never will.**_

_**Here's another chapter. Not much happening, though. xD**_

_

* * *

Chapter Six – Waiting_

"Wait a second, let me get this straight. You guys went to put out the fire and this huge metal thing came out from the ground to try and trap you."

"Yep, that's pretty much what happened," Melissa confirmed.

A day had passed since the incident and they were only just telling Celeste. Her aunt had taken away all means of communication, which included her phone and computer. She had a Teens Next Door communication device, but she could never use it because Katrina never let her out of her sight. The only time she could talk to her teammates was at school.

Celeste pulled on her twin ponytails in frustration. "I wish I could spy on that place or something, but stupid Aunt Katrina is so annoying!"

"Why are giving in to her?" asked Thomas, munching on a chocolate biscuit. "We're the Teens Next Door. We don't give in to adults, Celeste."

Celeste glowered at him. "Do _you_ want to live with her for a day?"

Thomas gulped harder than usual. "No."

A techno song was heard from Celeste's pocket. She took it out and pressed on the answer button. She listened to the voice and frowned.

"Yes, I'm studying. No, I'm not with my friends. Yes, I do actually have friends. Goodbye."

The others could sense a tense attitude in Celeste. They all looked at each other, worried. The spy placed her phone on the table slowly. Then she laughed.

"She wants me to _study_ during _lunchtime_!" she exclaimed between giggles. "That is the funniest thing I have ever heard!"

Harry shook his head. "Honestly, that aunt of yours is something the TND wouldn't stop fussing over. Why don't you just turn her in?"

"She's my aunt," said Celeste. Her giggles had stopped and she sighed. "I can't do that to my dad."

Truman shrugged. "We could cover it up. You know, stage some sort of accident."

"It's still a no."

"Anyway, back on track," started Melissa, eager to get back on topic. "What are we going to do about this whole enemy thing? I mean, we don't have actual enemies. We put the guy in prison, then it's the last we hear of them."

"Maybe it was a trap for the investigators?" suggested Kellie. "That was us."

Harry bit his lip. "That's a possibility, but we can't be certain until we get more information. We'll wait until they strike again."

"And they might not light another fire," Thomas added.

"That's true as well," said Harry as the bell rang. "That's the plan. See you guys later."

* * *

Melissa stretched as she walked out of her English class, thankful school was finished for the day. It was one of the most boring things she had ever gone through. Mr Rent, her teacher, had decided to give the class a lecture on Shakespeare's life. It's not that she didn't like Shakespeare, but she had heard all the information before. Celeste was always in high spirits when she recited anything about Shakespeare, and Melissa was always the first one she went to.

"Hey, Melissa."

Melissa turned around to see Truman smiling at her. His glasses were absent and he was carrying around a pile of books. How he could do that with his scrawny arms, she would never know.

"Hi, Truman." She smiled at the boy.

"Another boring English class?" he asked as they walked down the hall.

"Yeah, a whole lecture on Shakespeare," Melissa moaned. "And just for the record, Celeste is a much better teacher than Mr Rent will ever be."

Truman laughed. "I know. I had him last year, which was a disaster."

"Yeah," said Melissa. "So, where are your glasses?"

"I decided I don't need them anymore," he replied.

Melissa narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

Truman shrugged. "'Cause I don't."

Melissa shook her head, slightly defeated. Truman had been having problems with bullies since their second year of middle school. He pretended it didn't affect him, but the rest of the team noticed little changes in his behaviour now and then. This was one of those cases. Truman definitely needed his glasses. The optometrist had told him he needed them all the time until he was at least in his early twenties.

"Ouch!" shouted Truman, rubbing his nose. He had just walked straight into a locker.

Melissa dug through his bag and pulled out his glasses case. "Wear them. Now."

"But I don't-"

Truman was cut off by the slip of paper thrown at his face. It had his name scribbled on it. Melissa received the same paper, only with her name on it. It was red with black writing, which could only mean one thing.

Detention.

Melissa looked for who gave them the papers. Miss Devine was glaring at them, her hands on her hips.

"Uh, what did we do, Miss Devine?" she asked.

The teacher narrowed her eyes. Maybe that was the wrong thing to say, considering Miss Devine looked like she would scratch their eyes out in an instant. Instead, she folded her arms.

"You know what you did, now come with me."

Melissa and Truman exchanged a confused look as they followed Miss Devine. There weren't many students in the hall, which Melissa was relieved about. She hated it when teenagers gossiped about people receiving detention.

Miss Devine stopped at her classroom and ushered them inside, adding, "No talking, you two."

The two operatives were the only students in detention. That was weird, considering a lot of the 'bad' kids had detention almost every day. Heck, even Thomas had to stay behind once a fortnight.

Melissa stood by the teacher's desk where Miss Devine was settling with some paperwork. "Ah, miss? I'm still not sure what we-"

"Yes, you do," said Miss Devine, her tone telling Melissa that there would be no more discussion on the subject. "Now, please sit down."

Melissa rolled her eyes and took a seat next to Truman. What had they done? They were just two teenagers exiting school. What was wrong with that? Then again, she _was_ Lizzie. Who knew what she was like as a teacher?

"Hey," Truman whispered. "Do you think we got into trouble because I walked into that locker?"

"No, I don't think so," said Melissa. "That was just an act of clumsiness."

Truman frowned. "Gee, thanks."

Taking advantage of the sarcasm, Melissa replied, "You're welcome."

The two laughed before they heard the smack of a ruler. They looked towards the front and saw Miss Devine with an angry expression. Her desk ruler had been snapped in half.

"Didn't I say "no talking"?" she screeched.

Scared of what other things she could break, the two stayed quiet for the rest of the forty minutes.

_**

* * *

I promise other chapters will be better. Well, review! :D**_


	7. The Great Football Escape

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door and I never will.**_

_**Well, here we are. I had a bit of writer's block, but I just needed to work bit by bit. Enjoy!**_

* * *

_Chapter Seven – The Great Football Escape_

Lizzie was worried, and even that was an understatement. Her work load was becoming heavier by the day, and that didn't mean her teacher duties. When she had followed her blackmailers on the day of the fire and they had caught her, they hadn't let her off easily. She had been shoved into a chamber by the blonde girl, who had used her gun to shoot around her. Bullets had purposely missed her body parts and joints and it had scared her half to death.

She was no longer allowed at the hideout in the mountains, but she didn't care. In fact, she was relieved. She felt a slight chill whenever she was in there. The blonde girl had told her that they would meet once a day, each day at a different place.

Yesterday, the girl said they were going to strike again. That could only mean one thing: another fire.

"Miss Devine?"

Lizzie turned around to see one of her students staring at her. She had an envelope in her hand and, from the looks of things, it was addressed to the teacher herself.

"Thank you, um..." Lizzie trailed off, thinking of the girl's name.

"Amelia, miss," the girl informed.

"Yes, thank you, Amelia," said Lizzie, smiling.

As Amelia walked away, she opened the letter. It was written on a piece of ruled, A4 notebook paper. The writing gave the impression the letter was rushed. There were only three words written there.

'_Observe and report_.'

Lizzie knew instantly that it was from the blonde girl. That day they decided to meet at a park around nightfall. Normally the time would be earlier, but the girl wanted to make sure their fire succeeded this time around. That took extra time.

Lizzie shoved the note into the top drawer of her desk. As much as she hated kids, she was worried for the welfare of Harry and his friends.

* * *

Thomas smiled when the football coach told the team to run laps. He loved running almost as much as football. He wished he could say he was the fastest runner in the Teens Next Door, but Melissa already held that title.

Another reason he loved running laps: he ran past the cheerleaders. Whenever he dashed past them, Kellie would giggle, smile and wave at him, making him more motivated. He didn't know what it was about her, but he always wanted to impress her whenever she was around. He didn't know whether it worked, but he sure hoped it did.

"Run, Thomas, run!" Kellie shouted as he sprinted. He gave her a thumbs-up and ran towards the bleachers.

After the laps were the stretches and exercises. Fifty push-ups and fifty sit-ups made the team groan, not that they would do so in front of the coach. Opposing the coach resulted in a hundred more of both exercises.

Next was practise, the best part of the training. The coach would holler words of "encouragement" (known to others as insults) and give them a few tips. Other than that, they were allowed to practise in any way they chose.

Thomas was just about to score when he heard his phone beep. It was a nasal sound, something he didn't find cool at all, but it wasn't for appearances or reputation. That particular noise meant there was an emergency mission, something that couldn't be avoided. Of course, they always happened at the worst possible time.

After kicking the ball away, he went off to the sidelines to check his phone. He had to be quick, otherwise the coach would notice him and shout at him for slacking off. He slid his phone open to see a bright red screen with the word '_EMERGENCY_' in the centre. He sighed and selected '_Read message_'. It was from Harry, and if the bad grammar and spelling was anything to go by, it had been hastily texted.

_'Fire, cant go, bicsuts factry. HUURY!'_

Well, Harry was down for the count. He looked around the field and locked eyes with Kellie. She gestured to the cheerleaders and shook her head. They needed her and last time something had happened, she had been the one to leave. She had received detention for that and she wasn't going to risk getting it again.

Thomas scanned the field. The team wouldn't notice if he was gone just one time. He looked at the coach, who hadn't realised his star player wasn't practising yet.

'_Okay, gotta go..._' he thought.

Thomas started to back away. When he was near the oval gate, he ran for his life. He was near the school's entrance when he heard the coach's angry shouts. He was going to have to make up an excuse for that later.

He tried to look inconspicuous as he sprinted down the street, but it was very hard. A teenage boy running down the pathway at lightning speed was very suspicious. Especially when he was heading for a factory, of all things.

He only stopped once. He was running past the local park where Melissa had athletics training. She was taking a sip of water near her backpack. When she looked up and saw him and his hopeful eyes, she shook her head. She couldn't go either. He sighed and resumed running.

He could see the smoke rising from the far side of town. He was still a long way away from the biscuit factory, so he picked up speed. He was very thankful that the coach had made them stretch. If he hadn't, he would have gotten a stitch by now, which was the last thing he needed. It would decrease his progress dramatically.

He urged himself to keep going as he got closer. He was losing energy by the second, but he couldn't stop for anything. Soon enough, he saw the flames. It wasn't as big as the forest fire, but that wasn't saying much. However, these flames were much taller and scarier.

"Okay, just get m-"

Thomas felt around his pockets for his 'Aqua' based weapon (Harry had made the team carry them, just in case). He panicked when it wasn't there. He slapped his forehead, angry with himself. He'd stored the weapon in his schoolbag, but in the rush of the mission he had left it in the locker room.

"Great, just great," he murmured.

He looked around frantically for a hose, but there wasn't one. He stomped his foot in frustration. Wasn't there meant to be a fire extinguisher or a tap, at the very least?

He heard a splash and within a matter of seconds was drenched from head to toe. The fire was now out, but he had no idea how. He stepped forward and tripped over. He looked backwards, expecting to see a rock or fallen tree branch, but that wasn't the case.

"A trip wire?" he asked in disbelief.

Something above him moved. He looked up and tried to roll out of the way, but was caught over the trip wire again. All he could do was stare upwards as a metal cage trapped him.

It was dark and the temperature had dropped slightly, the latter possibly due to his wet clothes. The enclosure was the same metallic purple colour as the metal cage from before, but the shape and size were different. This one was only built for one or two people, while the other one could hold the whole team.

'_What's going on?_' he wondered, banging on the cage. Then he heard the voices.

"What? We only got one!"

"Shush, girl. That was the plan."

"I thought we'd at least get two!"

"Both of you, just calm down. Let's take him inside. The others will come after him and _that's_ when we get them all."

* * *

_**There you go. Also, please vote on a poll I made. It's about what I should do for my next story. Review! :D**_


	8. He Said, She Said

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door and I never will.**_

_**Here we are! I've been very sick and tired lately, so eeeeeeeh. T.T**_

_**Enjoy. :D**_

* * *

_Chapter Eight – He Said, She Said_

The factory that had once loomed above them had now burnt to the ground. The walls had melted and the nearby trees had fallen. There were biscuit remains scattered everywhere. The place was a disaster zone, and a rather intimidating one at that.

Sector 22 stood where the entrance to the factory should have been. It was still mid-afternoon and the fireman and police were still roaming around, but they took no notice of the teenagers. Word had spread about the other fire and how they had saved the forest, so the authorities didn't see them as a threat. Quite the opposite, actually. They were heroes.

But they didn't have any time to bask in their glory.

"Where is he?" asked Harry, searching the area.

When Thomas hadn't reported back, all of them had gone to the scene of the crime. They expected him to be with a policeman or fireman, cooling down from the mission. When they asked around, no one had seen them, but the police said they would start looking for him. The only other thing the team could do was assume the worst.

Kellie was on the brink of tears. "I-If I had just gone with him..." she trailed off.

Melissa shook her head and gave the girl a one-armed hug. "It's not your fault. He isn't in there. He's gonna be fine, Melissa tells ya."

"You don't know that!" Kellie cried.

A policeman marched up to Harry and tapped him on the shoulder. "You kids have to go home. We'll tell you if we find your friend. We'll contact his parents and tell them the situation."

Harry's head jerked up. "No, don't call his parents. I, uh, got a call from him. He said he escaped and that he's fine."

"Are you sure?" the policeman asked curiously.

"Yes, completely sure," Harry confirmed. "He's at my house because we're working on a project together. It's a history thing where we have to-"

"Yes, yes, that's nice and all," said the policeman, annoyed. "Well, see you later."

Harry rounded up the team and they started to head home. When they were far enough away, Celeste turned to him with a confused expression.

"You didn't get a call. You were right next to me the whole time and your phone didn't ring," she said. The others looked at Harry.

"I had to tell a lie to the policeman, otherwise he'd call Mr and Mrs Drilovsky. The two are strong, but they'd be extremely worried. His brother would go crazy and try to find Thomas, but he won't, I bet you. Also, his parents will tell our parents and they'll put ridiculous restrictions on us, which means we can't go out and look for him ourselves," Harry explained.

Celeste gasped. "Aunt Katrina! I told her I'd be back by six at the latest."

Truman checked his watch. "It's only ten to five, so we still have time."

Everyone was silent the rest of the way, besides Kellie's crying. They were all thinking about Thomas and what had happened to him. They kept reassuring each other that he was fine, but they weren't entirely sure. What if he had been caught in that fire? They wouldn't be able to live with themselves if he had.

When they arrived at Harry's house, they saw something stuck on the door. After closer inspection, Harry said it was a piece of paper. He pulled it off, ripping a bit of it in the process. There was a message scrawled on it in pen and it was hard to read, but that didn't make him any less angry when he made it out.

"He's been kidnapped," he stated bluntly, his blood boiling.

Kellie was the first to react. She snatched the paper off of Harry and read it. She re-read it a few times to make sure she was reading it correctly. Her tears, which had dried up, started pouring again. She shook with fear and fury, not a good combination for her.

Celeste took the paper and read it aloud for the others. "'Dear Idiots, we have taken your comrade, Thomas Drilovsky. If you want him back, you must come to the base in the mountains in the next three days. If you don't do as we say, he will not be spared. Sincerely, I'm not telling you.' So what does this mean?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Harry yelled. "They've taken Thomas. The arsonists have taken Thomas _and_ they have a grudge against us. We don't have enemies or grudges! That's the KND's job."

"So what do you want us to do?" Truman questioned.

Harry sighed in an attempt to calm down. "We'll look for him tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Kellie shrieked. "Why not now?"

Melissa placed a hand on Kellie's shoulder. "It's getting late. Don't worry; he'll be fine if we have to wait a bit. He's the bait, so the captors need him alive."

Kellie looked down at her shoes. "Okay."

Celeste sighed. "Well, I better go before Aunt Katrina remembers my curfew."

"See ya, Celeste," said Harry, waving as the girl walked off.

"Do you think the captors know about our headquarters?" Truman asked.

"No," replied Harry. "They would have put this on the door to the headquarters, not the door to my house."

"We'll sleep in the base, then?" inquired Melissa, to which she received a nod.

* * *

Kellie wondered how the others could sleep so soundly. Sure, it had been a tough day, but they should be working out a plan. Even if it was a simple one, she would have been content with that. Their friend was missing and possibly in danger. How could they wait until the next day? She had to take action. _Fast_.

She thought about her plan as she dressed in her spy uniform, which was a replica of a ninja's outfit. She would sneak up to the mountain base, hopefully undetected. Then she would look for a small entrance. If she found one, she'd use it. If she didn't, she would have to improvise.

She snuck out of her room, taking her S.P.I.C.E.R. with her. It was the only weapon she had in her room. The others had more, but since her field was diversion expertise and nursing, she didn't need them as much. The one she had was for protection. If she lost it, she'd have to acquire another one from the Weapon Room.

'_I might as well take another one. The kidnappers might confiscate my S.P.I.C.E.R._,' she thought.

The Weapon Room was at the very bottom of the headquarters. Melissa and Harry had said it was to keep intruders from stealing them. It was silly to Kellie. They never had any intruders. Like Harry had pointed out to them earlier that day, they didn't hold grudges.

The door to the Weapon Room was large and steel. It would be impossible to break in. She had to give a sample of her DNA to access the weapons. She didn't have a problem with shoving a finger up her nose, but the computerised voice was fairly loud. She knew it was stupid, since the others were sleeping five stories above her and probably couldn't hear the voice, but the headquarters was dead quiet.

Taking a deep breath, she picked her nose and put her sample in the scanner.

'_Access granted_.'

Kellie cringed at the voice. Did it really have to be so loud? Shrugging it off, she tip-toed inside and shut the door behind her.

The Weapon Room was the size of a small church, but certainly didn't have the grace of one. The room was intimidating in the day, but night time made that look like a flowerbed. The weapons stared down at her from their shelves and hooks. She tried to ignore it and searched the room for a good weapon.

She eventually found a M.U.S.K.E.T. on one of the lower shelves. It hadn't been used much and was still in good condition. She smiled, satisfied, and put it in her pocket. Ah, how she loved those abnormally big pockets.

She was about to leave when she heard a thud, followed by some voices. She quietly scampered to the door and made sure it was securely shut. She pressed her ear against it so she could hear who the voices belonged to.

"Melissa, really, there's no one here." That was Harry.

"Melissa is telling ya, I heard the computer," Melissa argued.

"You were just imagining it. Come on, let's go back to bed. We have a huge day tomorrow."

Kellie didn't dare breathe as she listened to them retreat up the stairs. When she was sure they were gone, she breathed a sigh of relief. That was a close call.

She slowly opened the door a crack to see if there was anyone there. There wasn't. She slid out and started up the stairs, careful not to go too fast, just in case Melissa and Harry weren't back in bed yet. She was back on the first story in five minutes.

She didn't go to the front door, however. There were protective laser beams out there and she couldn't let the others find out she was leaving. They would stop her _and_ she would be punished for disobeying orders. At least with her tactic Thomas would be saved.

Well, she hoped he would be.

She entered the kitchen and went over to the cereal cupboard. She took out all the boxes and placed them to one side. She climbed up onto the counter and hoisted herself inside. She pushed at the back of the cupboard, which opened, revealing a tunnel of dirt. She crawled through the narrow path, occasionally spitting dirt and mud out of her mouth.

She was happy when she was outside. She covered the hole up with a log, which acted the same as the back of the cupboard. She was in the Uno's backyard, so she couldn't stay long. Their cat may find her and alert his owners.

'_Now I just need to get to the base_,' she thought. She saw the mountains in the distance and started running.

* * *

_**There you go! Pretty please vote on my poll and review. ^^**_

_**Also, no one has answered my question. Why are they called Sector 22? :)**_


	9. No One To Blame

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door and I never will.**_

_**Hello! I updated quicker than I thought I would. Enjoy it. :D  
**_

* * *

_Chapter Nine – No One To Blame_

Kellie gulped. If she was going to do this, it was now or never.

She had found a back entrance, tiny as it might be. It was rectangular and only just big enough for her to crawl through. She took the chance anyway and got on her hands and knees. She squeezed inside and made slow progress. It took her a minute to realise she was in an air vent.

There were small openings every ten metres or so. She peered out of them, but couldn't find any sign of Thomas. She started to tear up. It had been a few hours. They could have gotten to him already, but she had to keep her hopes up.

'_Come on, Thomas. You have to be here somewhere,_' she thought. _'Who am I going to argue with? Who's going to prove me wrong all the time? Who used to play Rainbow Monkeys with me when no one else would? Who stayed by my side in the hospital instead of fighting when I was ten? You, that's who. You've done so much for me, so I'm making it up to you. Just wait until I get there. Please. You can't let you die. I will _never_ let them hurt you while I'm with you. I l-lo-'_

She couldn't finish the thought because the tears started to fall. She had to cover her mouth in case someone heard. She mentally scolded herself. She couldn't save Thomas if she was being a cry-baby. If he was there he would have told her so. That thought made the tears fall harder.

When she had finished blubbering, she continued on. Every opening was the same: no Thomas. She tried not to sigh in frustration. He had to be somewhere.

She was passing by another hole when she heard voices. She looked through it and saw three people gathered around a control panel. There was a girl, a teenage boy and a man. Their voices were quiet and Kellie had to strain her ears to hear them.

"He's the bait," said the girl. Kellie gasped. She had a feeling of whose voice that was, but she wasn't a hundred percent sure. "We just have to wait for the others to fall into the trap."

"Then we can make them do our bidding," added the boy.

"Shut up," the girl ordered. "Anyway, I'm sure the bait's little girlfriend will come after him before the others. What was her name again?"

"Kellie," replied the man.

Kellie bit her lip. She'd been found out. Well, sort of. She was very angry, but not at them. She was mad at herself. She should have known the enemies would predict her movements. She felt like an idiot. She punched the air vent wall to relieve the stress.

Wrong move.

"Ah, it seems you were right," the man said to the girl. He turned to the air vent. "You can come out now."

Kellie had two options. She could pretend she wasn't there or fight with all she had. However, she realised too late that she didn't have a choice. The man pressed a button on the control panel and the bottom of the air duct gave way. She fell, screaming on the way down. She landed on the ground with a thud. She looked up to see evil smirks and knew she had been caught.

* * *

"Don't be so hard on her."

"I will be if I want to be."

Harry had been very angry when Kellie wasn't in her room that morning. He knew he should have seen it coming, but he had given strict orders that no one was to find Thomas until the next day. She had disobeyed and could now be anywhere. He had told the others this, but they were nowhere near as angry as him. They were more worried than anything.

Celeste patted her leader's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. We'll find them today and beat the crud out of whoever captured them. I mean, _if_ Kellie was captured." She scowled.

Harry shrugged her off. "Of course she's been captured. It's my fault Kellie went, anyway."

"What do you mean?" asked Truman.

"Melissa said she heard something in the Weapon Room last night and dragged me downstairs. I didn't believe her and we both went back upstairs. It was probably Kellie down there, getting ready to leave," he answered.

Melissa sighed deeply. "Well, it happened and it can't be undone. We'll get them back later today."

"No," started Harry. "We have to get them now. Kellie might be punished for intruding."

Celeste shook her head. "I don't think so. They want them as bait. They won't do anything until all of us are up there. Besides, Kellie might have escaped."

"Yeah," Melissa agreed, "but what are we going to tell the teachers at school?"

Harry shrugged. "Say they're sick. By the time the school finds out they're not, we will have gotten them back and the TND will have fixed the absentee records."

As the team nodded their heads, Mrs Uno poked her head out the door. "You kids should get to school. You'll be late!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Thanks, _mother_."

The team dawdled to school. They didn't say much, being too preoccupied. Harry was blaming himself for the disappearance of his teammates. Melissa kept thinking of the Weapons Room and how Kellie had been in there. Celeste was worried for Harry, both personal and professional wise. Truman couldn't help but think about his time as an evil enemy and how much pain he had caused for others.

When they arrived at school, Lizzie was walking through the gates. When she saw them, she frowned and almost dropped her binder folder. She walked over to them and smiled, but they could tell it was forced.

"Good morning," she greeted.

Harry glared at her, but still managed to say, "Good morning."

"Where are your other friends?" Lizzie questioned.

"They're sick," replied Melissa.

"Ah, I see," Lizzie said. "Well, have a good day."

"There's something weird about her," observed Harry as the group watched her trot away with her head held high.

* * *

Truman read his 'High School Annual Science Competition' note for the sixteenth time as he walked to the school gates. He was in a great mood because the teacher in charge had picked him to be the science team's representative. There was only one student from each school allowed in the competition and he was very grateful to have the opportunity.

"Another fire?"

Truman whipped his head around so fast that he got a headache. Lizzie was behind him, talking on her phone. She seemed distressed about something. He watched her hang up, sigh and put the phone back in her handbag.

"Hey, Miss Devine," he called before he could stop himself.

The teacher didn't look too happy to see him. "Yes, uh..."

"Truman," he sighed.

"Yes, Truman," Lizzie repeated. "Sorry, I'm terrible at remembering names. "So, what is it?"

"What were you saying about fires?" he asked.

"I never said anything."

"Yes, you did. I heard you."

Lizzie pursed her lips. "That's personal."

With those last words, she walked away.

* * *

_**There you go. Review and have a nice day. :)**_


	10. Do You?

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door and I never will.**_

_**Yes, I updated this quickly. I think I got carried away while writing the last part of the chapter, but enjoy. xD**_

* * *

_Chapter Ten – Do You?_

"Lizzie, you're not supposed to be here."

After much contemplating, Lizzie had decided to go to the mountains. She'd had enough of being blackmailed and wanted to set things straight. _She_ was in charge of her _own_ life. What these people were doing was obviously bad and she needed to end it. It was for her safety, Harry's group's safety and the safety of everyone in town.

"I know, but this has to stop."

The blonde girl scoffed. "You aren't the boss of me, Miss Devine."

"Now, Anne-Marie, that's no way to treat Miss Devine," the old man scolded, walking towards them. "She's done a lot of work for us. Isn't that right, Nixon?"

The boy didn't even turn around when he said, "Yep."

"But she wants to _leave_, Father!" Anne-Marie argued, trying to stress the importance of the situation.

"And she won't," said Father. "Your gun will make sure of that."

Anne-Marie smirked, remembering her weapon. "Exactly. Miss Devine is too chicken to actually do anything about it."

"I can turn you into the authorities."

"There's no point in telling us that. We'll just pull a runner," stated Anne-Marie, her smug smile not faltering for a second.

Lizzie scowled. "They'll search for you."

Anne-Marie shook her head. "Nope. Apparently, we don't exist anymore."

"What?" choked Lizzie. What was this girl talking about? Of course she existed. She was standing right in front of her.

"Never mind, just go and keep observing," commanded Father, waving his hand to dismiss her. "If you don't, I will send Anne-Marie and her gun."

Lizzie looked like she wanted to say more, but spun one hundred and eighty degrees and stomped out the door instead. Anne-Marie wiped her hands, satisfied.

"Well, that's done. She probably won't rebel again," she assumed.

"Hey, I found it!" Nixon declared.

"Finally!"

Anne-Marie and Father joined Nixon at the control panel. Most of their days at the base were spent trying to find Sector 22's headquarters. They had easily found out that it wasn't anywhere above the surface, so they started looking underground. It was hard because of all the interferences, such as insects, dirt and tree roots. It was a great accomplishment to find it.

Nixon moved out of the way so the other two could see. They had set up an underground camera, which they nicknamed 'The Ladybug' because that was the form it took. It was currently looking at a silver door with gold paint saying '_Teens Next Door – Sector 22'_ over it. The narrow walkway was dark brown wood. They couldn't see anything else besides dirt.

"Well," began Father, "can't you get in any further?"

Nixon shook his head. "The defence systems are excellent. No one and nothing can get in without a DNA sample. Not even a bug."

Anne-Marie pouted like a five year old girl. "No fair. I wanted to see my Harry again."

Nixon rolled his eyes while Father said, "You will soon. It won't even be an hour before they're right here on our doorstep."

"Yes, then he's all mine," Anne-Marie said, giving a wide smile.

* * *

Thomas was miserable. He had been kidnapped and taken to a newly built prison. At the time he'd been angry with his captors and himself, but not sad. All those hours ago, he had been working out a way to free himself. He had heard the door open as he was inspecting the bars. He had heard someone scream and he had instantly known it was Kellie.

That had been ages ago and they still hadn't spoken. This wasn't normal for them. They would normally be at each other's throats. He would be telling her she was an idiot for trying to rescue him and she would be defending herself, saying she only did it for him.

It was the completely different now, and all he could think of was the tension between them. They were both in the same cell, not that they had a choice. There was only one. They both stayed on opposite sides, sneaking side glances at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking.

"T-Thomas?"

Thomas almost jumped when Kellie spoke. "Yeah?"

"Are you mad at me?" she asked, her voice soft.

"I'm not angry, but I'm not exactly thrilled either," he replied.

An awkward silence followed. She obviously didn't know how to reply to such an answer. Now he was freaking out. She knew how to reply to _everything_, even if she just bawled her eyes out. Now she was silent, and it scared him.

"Why did you do it?" he asked.

Kellie gave him a look of surprise and confusion. "Why did I do what?"

"Come after me," Thomas answered. "The others weren't with you and I don't know what happened."

"I came by myself," started Kellie, tucking her knees under her chin. "There was a ransom note on Harry's door that said you were being held here. You were the bait. Harry said we should wait until the next day, since he believed you wouldn't be hurt unless we did something to the enemy. Celeste went back to her house and the rest of us went back to the headquarters. When I was in bed, I couldn't stop thinking about... Everything. I put on this outfit, went down to the Weapon Room, and then to the kitchen escape tunnel. Harry and Melissa almost caught me, but I managed to get out. I came here and found the entrance to the air vent. I went inside, but I was caught."

"Well, that tells me _how_ you did it. But _why_ did you do it?" Thomas asked.

A tear slid down Kellie's cheek. "Because you're my friend."

"But you disobeyed orders for this. You're gonna get into trouble," Thomas pointed out.

"I know."

"If it was any of the others-"

"But it _wasn't_ any of the others. It was _you_."

Thomas took a moment to register that sentence, but all it did was confuse him. Why was he so special? They had both known the others since they were little, with the exception of Truman. Didn't she love them all equally? He knew she was extraordinary to him. He couldn't deny that. Even when he stopped lying to himself he was puzzled.

He decided to just man up and ask.

"Kellie, do you like me?"

Kellie, who had scooted closer to Thomas, looked up at him. She had started to cry and her face was going red. She dropped her gaze and started playing with her nails. He felt a lump in his throat. He was stupid to ask such an embarrassing question.

"No, I don't."

Thomas felt his heart turn cold. Aside from becoming the greatest football player in the world, his greatest wish was for Kellie to love him back. That dream was now shattered.

"The concept of 'liking' is light. I don't like you."

Thomas tried not to cringe. Did she really have to rub it in?

"I love you."

Thomas was at a loss for words. His eyes widened and butterflies filled his stomach. He could have sworn he was dreaming. Kellie Beatles, his teammate, childhood friend and longest love, was telling him that she loved him.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Kellie said, "Don't worry. You don't have to do anything about it. I guess I'll get over it. Maybe."

"It's okay," Thomas reassured.

"No, it's not!" Kellie protested, tears running down her face.

"Kellie, listen to me!" Thomas had to shout over cries. "I love you too."

Kellie's expression first showed bewilderment, but then she beamed. According to Thomas, she was beautiful, and nothing could ever change that. He thought this as she gave him a large embrace, which lasted for a good minute.

When they let go, he whispered, "You really are an idiot for coming, you know?"

She tried to look offended, but she couldn't stop the grin from showing through. "I know."

* * *

_**You were expecting them to get together at the very end and share a passionate kiss, weren't you, WEREN'T YOU? I swear, I've been reading and watching too much romance/comedy manga and anime lately. So, review! :D**_


	11. Ooh, Burn

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door and I never will.**_

_**Here it is. It's short, but I have a REALLY important author's note at the end.**_

* * *

_Chapter Eleven – Ooh, Burn_

Truman stepped inside his house, closed the door, and announced, "Mum, I'm home!"

"That's good, dear. How was science today?"

"Good," Truman replied. "I was chosen to represent the school for that competition I told you about."

"That's excellent, great work," praised his mother, who was cooking at the stove.

"Are we having an early dinner?" Truman asked.

Ashley nodded. "Your father's going out tonight, so we have to have it early."

Truman was slightly anxious. His parents hated it when he missed dinner, as it was the only time they could talk. He even left the underground headquarters for it. His father, Eric, was always busy with work and only had time for dinner. Plus, he was always with the Teens Next Door, just like he would be tonight. So far, he had only missed a few dinners because of missions, and even then he'd still been at the table for at least five minutes.

"Ah, I have a problem with dinner tonight. Harry and I are going to work on a project together and we decided this afternoon would be a good time," lied Truman, thinking on the spot. "I'm going to be there for a while, so I'll miss dinner."

Ashley smiled softly and Truman knew he was off the hook. After all, his parents always told him to stay true to his commitments.

"Okay, will you eat over at the Unos' house?"

Truman nodded, not daring to speak and ruin his good fortune. He ran up the stairs and grabbed some weapons, pretending to be gathering his school books. He ran downstairs, bade farewell to his parents and ran out the door.

* * *

After school, Celeste had gone to the base with Melissa to get ready for the mission. She couldn't risk going back home; Aunt Katrina would swoop in on her like an eagle. It meant she would have a lot of explaining to do when she got home, but it was better that she went on the mission. If she had gone home she wouldn't have been able to leave at all.

Melissa walked into Celeste's room, where the spy was picking out which tools to use. She had changed out of her jeans into looser pants, obviously to help her run faster if she needed to. Celeste noticed her pockets were bulging with weapons and other devices. She hoped the enemy didn't take any notice of that.

"Are you sure you can go on this mission?" Melissa asked.

"I have to," answered Celeste. "We have to get the others out and, well, I've been thinking about who the enemy could be."

Melissa raised her eyebrows. "So have I. What's on ya mind?"

Celeste sighed as she packed her backpack. "Harry said the Teens Next Door doesn't hold grudges, and that's completely true. So, what if it was someone from when we were in the Kids Next Door?"

"I was thinking the same thing," Melissa admitted, sitting on the bed. "But none of them know about the Teens Next Door."

"But there had to be someone..." Celeste trailed off.

Just like that, something clicked in her brain. How could she not see it before? But they were gone. It was impossible to think they could have done it.

"You're thinking about Anne-Marie and Father, aren't you?" Melissa assumed.

"Yeah," said Celeste. "How did you know?"

"I thought of them too," replied Melissa. "But they couldn't have escaped from that place they went to."

"Limbo," corrected Celeste, remembering. "No, they couldn't."

Silence surrounded the room as the two girls swam in their thoughts. However, Celeste had already come to one conclusion: if Anne-Marie _was_ involved, she would show no mercy.

* * *

"Mum, I'm going out for a while," Harry told his mother.

Mrs Rachel Uno nodded. This wasn't unusual. He knew she was used to him leaving the house and not coming back until bedtime. His father didn't necessarily like it, but she never minded. She was just happy she had one less child to look after. She had enough to handle with Harry's six year old brother, George. He didn't know how she could cope with the little rascal, but she did. That's what made her such a good mother.

"Try to be back before your father gets home, you know what he's like."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yes, mum."

Rachel only laughed as he walked out of the house.

The others were already outside with their gear, all looking determined. Though, on closer inspection, they were all extremely worried. If they stepped one foot out of line, their friends could be killed. And once they were gone, there would be nobody else left to die except themselves.

"Come on," started Harry. "We will get them back. We've defeated killers, abusers and arsonists. We can handle these guys."

He grinned in what he hoped was a confident way. He faltered when he saw the expressions on their faces. They were unwavering, but they weren't in the mood for being cheered up.

Just as he started another pep talk, a phone rang. Celeste sighed and reached into her pocket, taking out her phone. She looked at the screen, rolled her eyes, and answered it.

"Yes?"

There was a muffled, angry sounding voice coming from the other end.

"Okay, _Katrina_," started Celeste, her face going red. "Let me get this into your pintsized brain. You are not the boss of me. My parents are. You are here to give my brother, sister and I food and supervision. When I say supervision, I mean keeping the rules my parents gave and not making up your own ridiculous ones. I am sixteen already and I know all the dangers of the world, more than you ever will. After all, I'm only going to the Uno's house. How is that so bad? Oh wait, don't answer that. I don't want your negative opinions lodged into my brain. I'll see you when I get home, which will be when _I_ want, and you will not lecture me. You got that?"

"Ooh, burn," said Melissa, smirking.

Celeste hung up the phone and grinned. "It feels so great to get that off my chest."

Harry stared wide-eyed at the girl in front of him. Then he clapped.

"Celeste! That was... Amazing."

Celeste blushed. "Thanks. Now, let's get going."

* * *

_**There you go, guys.**_

_**Now onto the important author's note. I WILL finish this story, though it may take a while to update. I have started school after an over two month sickness and I need to catch up as well as some other problems.**_

_**Also, I am currently not happy with this fandom. Don't ask me why, honestly, because I may cyber-karate you. I may just be PMS-ing, but I think that needed to be said. I MIGHT take a break from this fandom, even though I do have a few stories in mind. Don't count on reviews, either. If you manage to get a review from me, count yourself lucky. I know this sounds harsh, but I am very pissed at the moment. =.=**_


	12. The Passage

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door and I never will.**_

_**Here you are. It came out a little longer than expected, but no worries. :D **_

* * *

_Chapter Twelve – The Passage_

"Right near the scene of the crime, eh?"

Harry's attempts to lift everyone's mood failed once again. He hated tension, and right now you could cut it with a knife.

He sighed and led everyone up the stairs. They almost slipped a few times because it was so steep, but there were no injuries. Five minutes later, they reached the top. A large metal door stood in front of them.

"So, do we just knock?" Truman asked.

"I – I'll try," volunteered Harry.

He was about to tap on the door when it swung open. Staring down at them was a tall boy with brown hair, a denim jacket and jeans: Nixon. He smirked at them in a knowing way and it seemed like something amused him.

Harry and Truman were surprised with this new revelation while Celeste became angry and Melissa had on her poker face.

"Well, we've been expecting you," Nixon stated.

'_What is this, the mafia?_' Harry thought, aware that saying it aloud could kill him. Instead, he just stayed quiet.

"Anne-Marie is waiting for you."

Nixon opened the door wider, inviting them in. Harry stepped inside, but when the others moved forward, Nixon held up his hand. They gave him a questioning look.

"She only wants to see Harry," Nixon said.

The last thing Harry saw before Nixon slammed the door was Melissa's cap shielding her eyes, Truman's shocked look and Celeste looking furious. Before he knew it, he was pushed down a pathway leading to another set of doors. Nixon forced them open and they both walked inside.

Anne-Marie was sitting on the desk with her legs out in front of her. She looked particularly happy with herself, especially when she saw Harry glaring at her from the doorway.

"Ah, I meet my Harry again at last." She grinned evilly.

"I'm not yours," said Harry with more confidence than he had.

Anne-Marie only smiled. "Hmm, all in good time. Anyway, I assume you want your teammates back."

"Naturally," agreed Harry, trying to keep his voice calm.

"You'll have to do a little job for us."

"Anything."

Of course, Harry didn't plan on going with what Anne-Marie wanted, but he had to so he could save Thomas and Kellie. What would happen if he refused? He knew they would be killed, and not quickly and painlessly. They would be tortured and the rest of the team would be forced to hear the screams. Then they would be next.

Would Anne-Marie kill him? It was obvious that she still liked him, and he hoped that would be enough for her to show him mercy. He wouldn't ask to stay alive, however. He wanted to use any method he could to save his friends, even if it meant he had to die.

Anne-Marie jumped off the table. "I need you to collect these things for me."

She dug into her pocket and pulled out a small sheet of paper. She handed it to Harry, who took it reluctantly. He scanned the writing, which read:

_Metal_

_Polish_

_Tool box (preferably with tools IN it)_

_Nails_

_Fresh spring water from Alice Springs, Australia_

Harry frowned at the last item. "What the hell? What do you need spring water for?"

"Fresh spring water from Alice Springs in Australia," Anne-Marie corrected, folding her arms. "Get it right."

"And if I don't get all these things?" Harry asked, trying to leave out any traces of worry.

"I'll kill the hostages." Anne-Marie continued when Harry opened his mouth to speak again. "If you don't obey after that, I will kill the rest of your team."

Harry twisted his mouth in frustration. He could try and fight now, but the odds were against him. Nixon was still standing by the doorway and he was sure both he and Anne-Marie had weapons and enforcements. Also, if those two were here, Father had to be around somewhere, and he was worse than both of them combined. He would definitely come if a fight started.

"Well, will you do it?" Anne-Marie asked, feigning sweetness.

Harry took a deep breath and held the list tighter.

* * *

Outside the base, no one was talking. Truman was drawing in the dirt with a stick to pass time. Melissa paced between Truman and Celeste, who had her ear pressed to the wall, trying to pick up noise. All of them were full of worry.

"She's not going to kill Harry," Truman reasoned, though he was really trying to convince himself.

Celeste scowled. "Of course she won't. They used to date, remember?"

Melissa stopped pacing and placed a hand on Celeste's shoulder. "Celeste, don't do anything drastic."

"Fine," Celeste sighed. She banged the wall with her fist. "I just want to help him, that's all."

"We all do," said Melissa, "but he'll be fine."

"He better be," Celeste mumbled.

Truman, who had tuned out of the conversation, felt something hard under the dirt. He abandoned the stick and dug with his hands. A minute later, all the dirt had been shoved away. In its place was a white rectangle with holes in it. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he wrapped his fingers around the edge of the holes and pulled.

"Truman, what are you doing?" Celeste asked, her eyes wide.

The white rectangle popped out and flew into the air, landing a centimetre away from Melissa. Truman looked where the rectangle had been. He realised it had been the lid to an underground passage.

"What are we gonna do about that?" Melissa questioned, peering into the hole.

"Should we go in?" Truman asked uncertainly.

Truman and Celeste turned to Melissa, who was the leader when Harry wasn't around. She bit her lip, contemplating the right thing to do.

"Okay, here's what we'll do," she began after a few seconds of deliberation. "One of us will go down and the other two will stay here. Anyone want to go?"

"I will," said Truman. "I'm the smallest, so I'll fit better."

Melissa nodded and gestured to the hole. "When you're ready."

Truman moved himself so his legs dangled over the edge of the hole. He took a deep breath and let himself fall downwards. He had to close his eyes because dirt threatened to fall inside them. It must have been a good twenty seconds before he finally hit the ground. His ankle throbbed a bit, but he didn't think it was broken.

"You okay down there?" Melissa called.

"Yeah, I am," Truman answered.

He looked up and realised he hadn't fallen as far as he thought, though if the hole had been any deeper, he could have been seriously injured.

"Celeste brought some rope, so we'll just hang it here. When you want to come back up, just yank it," Melissa yelled into the hole.

"Okay!"

Truman waved and turned around. He was at the beginning of a pathway that led deeper underground. He realised how dark it was and wished he had brought a torch. Taking one look back, he started trudging through the dirt.

Two minutes later, he was in complete darkness. He stumbled through, praying that he didn't hurt himself. He took a step forward, but tripped on something.

_Bang!_

"Ouch!" shouted Truman, rubbing his arm. He had fallen onto something metal. He squinted in the darkness, but still couldn't see, so he outstretched his hand. He made contact with a curved object. He moved his hands and, after thinking hard, found what it was: the ring of a ladder.

Making sure he had a good grip on the ladder ring, he hoisted himself up and began climbing. It was only a short climb, something he was thankful for. After all, he was better at academics than sports.

Squinting in the darkness, he saw something white. If it had been any other colour he wouldn't have seen it. It was another rectangle, just like the one at the entrance to the passage. Unlike the other one, however, there weren't any holes.

'_Hmm, maybe I can cut it out...'_

Clutching the ladder with one hand, he wrestled a small drill out of his belt. He always carried it around with him, just in case he needed to loosen or cut something strong. It often came in handy, even when he wasn't on a mission.

Flicking the drill on with his thumb, he started shifting the rectangle. It gave in easily, brushing past him as it fell to the floor. He looked up, but didn't see any sunlight. Or any light, for that matter. He touched the spot where the rectangle had been and sighed exasperatingly.

Concrete.

In a hurry now, he turned the drill back on. This time he cut a circle shaped hole, just big enough for him to fit through. Keeping his balance with his feet, he lifted the concrete slab, though it was very heavy. He wobbled a few times, but managed to keep himself steady so he could drop the concrete.

As he had already adjusted to the darkness, he found the light shining down on him very overwhelming. Even so, he raised himself out of the hole.

"Truman!"

He turned to his left, where the sound had come from. Kellie was waving at him, a large smile on her face. Next to her was Thomas, a small smile on his face too. Though they were glad to see him, Truman could tell they were exhausted. They both looked like they had been through physical combat, which they probably had. They didn't look too bad yet, but if they didn't get out soon they would start to stink up the place.

They were sitting inside one of many prison cells, though theirs was the only one occupied. There were dust and spider webs everywhere. There were no colours other than gray, playing a significant role in the depressing atmosphere.

"Hey, man, how did you get here?" Thomas asked.

Truman grinned, happy to see them. "I found a secret passage thing outside the base entrance, so I decided to see where it went."

"Where are the others?" Kellie inquired.

"Harry was told to go to Anne-Marie alone, so I don't know what's happening with him at the moment. I was waiting outside with Melissa and Celeste when I found the passage," Truman explained.

Kellie's eyes lit up. "So they're okay?"

"Yeah," replied Truman. Then he added, "For the moment."

"So, are we gonna get out of here or..." Thomas trailed off and waited for Truman to answer.

"Yep, let me get the drill ready."

Truman ran to the bars, turned on the drill and was ready to cut through them when he heard a noise. He stopped the drill and listened.

Kellie, who had better hearing than both the boys, said, "Footsteps."

Truman's breath caught in his throat. He mouthed, "Sorry," to the two captives and hurried back to the hole. He was halfway down the ladder when he looked up again, giving an apologetic look to Kellie and Thomas. They both motioned frantically for him to go. He nodded once and descended into the passage.

After he heard his feet make contact with the dirty ground, he grabbed the concrete and covered the opening. He made sure it was firmly in place before running off to tell the others what he discovered.

* * *

_**I hope you liked it. Review. :D**_

_**Also, what if there was a Tumblr of KND? Like, with a lot of KND moments. I've seen it with other fandoms and I thought it would be awesome. *Sparkly eyes* :D**_


	13. Stalker In The Trees

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door and I never will.**_

_**Here you are! I'm not entirely satisfied with this chapter, but eh. You can't win every time. I've been sick lately, so I just decided that instead of finishing my assignments, I'd put up another chapter for you all! ^^**_

* * *

_Chapter Thirteen – Stalker In The Trees_

Kellie watched Truman disappear down the hole. She waited in silence as she heard the footsteps draw nearer and nearer. In a matter of seconds, the door swung open, revealing Father. He frowned and skimmed his eyes over the room.

"I heard noises coming from inside here," he said.

Kellie and Thomas tried not to look at each other; it could make Father suspicious. They put on their best "confused faces" and stared at Father.

"It was probably because we were talking," Kellie said. "We didn't hear anything else."

Father looked at them harshly before turning back to the door and saying, "Fine, I'll leave you for now."

With that, he walked back out the door.

Kellie bit her lip and looked at Thomas. "What if Truman or one of the others comes in again?"

Thomas put his arm around her shoulder and she knew that he was asking himself the same thing.

"I don't know."

* * *

Melissa was relieved when she felt a tug on the rope. She had been becoming more worried by the second. She didn't know what would happen if Truman was captured too.

"Celeste, help me here," she called.

With Celeste's help, she pulled Truman out of the hole. He was covered in dirt and his glasses were askew, but he was smiling. He had opened his mouth to tell them something when the large metal door opened.

Melissa had never seen Harry look so serious. Although she couldn't see his eyes through the hand-me-down sunglasses, she could tell they were just as firm as his other features. She exchanged a concerned look with Celeste and Truman. They were thinking the same thing as her, she realised. This didn't help settle her stomach's butterflies.

"Well, I went in there. Anne-Marie was in there. She didn't hurt me in any way," he added quickly when he saw Celeste ball her fists. "Anyway, we have to get her these items so Kellie and Thomas can be freed." He waved a small piece of paper in the air.

"But what will Anne-Marie do with them?" Celeste asked, saying the criminal's name as if it were poison.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know, but it's the only way to get Thomas and Kellie back."

"Uh, that might not be entirely true," Truman chimed in, pushing his glasses into a more comfortable position.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, frowning.

"Well, I found this passageway while you were inside." Truman pointed to the hole he had just clambered out of. "I went down there to see where it led. It goes into the room where Kellie and Thomas are. I was about to free them, but we heard footsteps, so I had to leave. I just got out. I was about to tell the other two when you came outside."

Harry pursed his lips as if he was making a very hard decision. It took him a while to reply, "Okay, we'll go and get these things on the list and come back. I'll stall Anne-Marie while one of you frees Thomas and Kellie. It makes everything less suspicious because if we don't leave now, they'll think we're working out a plan."

"Which we are," Melissa pointed out.

"True," agreed Celeste. "Let's go get a S.C.A–"

Harry shook his head. "No, most of these things we can get at our headquarters. It's only the last one..." He made a face.

"What's on the list?" Truman asked.

"Metal, polish, a toolbox, nails and fresh spring water from Alice Springs in Australia," Harry read.

"What?" Celeste shrieked. "Fresh spring water all the way in _Australia_? What's that girl playing at?"

"I have no idea, but like I said, the only way we can get Kellie and Thomas back is by getting these items," Harry said. "Now, let's go."

Harry charged down the mountain without another word. Celeste walked after him, ready to say something (probably about Anne-Marie, Melissa guessed) but thought better of it. Truman kicked the white rectangle back into place and ran after the other two to catch up. Melissa power walked behind, thinking.

'_Harry normally isn't so serious,'_ she thought.

Harry always told jokes to lighten the mood, even if they were incredibly corny. He took things less sternly and every hit making him stronger. What was bothering him now?

Melissa thought she had a good idea. Since coming into the Teens Next Door, they had barely lost a mission. Even if the criminal slipped away from them in the first few tries, they always caught him in the end. This time was different because it was someone with a grudge who had power. Harry wasn't used to that and had just witnessed it firsthand.

When they arrived back at the underground base, she took Harry aside.

"Listen," she started, "I know you're not used to all this overpowering stuff, but you have to be your normal self."

Harry gave Melissa a small smile. "You're right."

"Good," Melissa said. "You're getting us all worried, especially Celeste over there."

She gestured with her head to Celeste, who was observing Harry very intently. He didn't look back, but his smile vanished.

"Okay, I'll try my best."

The next half-hour was used to locate the first four items on the list. Melissa knew where all of them were because they were tools and materials, which she used a lot in her position as the 4x8 technology officer. When she had gathered them, she met the rest of her teammates at the S.C.A.M.P.E.R., which they were using to fly to Australia.

"You have them all?" Harry asked in a calmer voice, which Melissa was happy to hear.

"Yep," she answered. "Let's go get that water."

The flight took a little over an hour. She thought about how she preferred this to average airlines as she walked out of the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. However, she forgot about this when she saw her surroundings.

It was around noon in Australia, judging by the amount of sunlight. It was hotter here, mainly because their seasons were different to where Sector 22 lived. There was a small village below the large rock they had parked on. There was dirt and grassland everywhere, so they were somewhere near bushland.

But there was one problem.

"Where's the water?" Melissa asked, standing on her tip-toes in hopes of finding the "spring" in Alice Springs.

Truman slapped a hand to his forehead. "It's almost summer here and Australia is the driest inhabited continent. The water supply is pretty scarce right now!"

"You mean there's no water _anywhere_?" Harry questioned.

"Well, there is," said Truman, "but they need all the water they can get in a bushland place like this."

"So, in other words, we were sent on a wild goose chase?" Celeste asked darkly.

Truman nodded solemnly.

This stirred up a lot of reactions. Celeste started cursing Anne-Marie with words that would make her parents ground her for five years. Harry screamed and hit the S.C.A.M.P.E.R., leaving a dent in it. Truman held his head in his hands, shaking it slowly, as if it was all just a dream and would go away.

Melissa all thought they were being melodramatic. She knew they were all stressed, but that didn't mean all their senses had to shut down completely. Couldn't they tell something was amiss? It was completely quiet, and she didn't think it was just because they were in a small town.

"Guys, shut up for a second." They complied. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Truman asked, cupping his hand around his ear so he could hear better.

It dawned on Celeste first. "It's completely quiet. _Too_ quiet."

Realisation hit Harry and Truman, who looked at each other, shocked. They were about to speak when something swooped down on them from one of the many trees. The attacker fell to the ground next to Harry, but it wasn't a person. It was a giant axe.

"What the heck?" Celeste screamed.

The tree shook again, but this time it was a person that fell out. A large man with gigantic muscles and thick-looking shorts was groaning and holding his back in front of him. When he noticed them looking down on him, he jumped up and grabbed a knife from many of the weapons strung onto his belt.

"Prepare to die, little ones!" he hollered, raising the knife.

The team fell into action immediately. In a flash, Harry was sparring with him while Celeste jumped on his back. Melissa and Truman were trying to trip the man, though they had to be careful. If the man fell forwards, Harry could be stabbed with the knife.

After a few minutes, the man pushed Harry off the rock and into a tree. Ignoring Celeste's slipping grip on his neck, he pointed his knife at Melissa, who was still desperately trying to kick him down. She was concentrating so hard that she didn't realise what was happening until it was too late to move. She prepared for impact...

But it never came. To Melissa, everything else happened in slow motion. The large man took something out of his pocket and dropped it on Truman, who had taken the knife for her. She couldn't see what it was because it scuttled away before she could get any closer. The man made a run for it and sprinted down the rock, throwing Celeste off of his back in the process.

Everything returned to normal speed once the man had disappeared into the trees. Everyone ran over to Truman, who was bleeding heavily out of his left arm. He was sweating and he looked terrified.

"What happened? What was that thing Old Steroid Man dropped on you?" Harry asked frantically.

"Red back spider," Truman gasped.

Celeste covered her mouth, but that didn't stop the squeak that came out of her mouth. "Aren't those really poisonous?"

Truman nodded quickly, but groaned straight away. Melissa deduced that he wouldn't be able to say much more.

"We have to take him to the Underground Clinic. The doctors and nurses there will help him. Help me get him into the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.!" Harry ordered.

* * *

_**There you have it! Before you complain to me that Melissa should be the 2x4 technology officer, I think it should be 4x8 because it's the TND. That's just my opinion, though. So, review! ^^**_


	14. Freedom

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door and I never will.**_

_**Here you are, quicker than I anticipated. :D**_

* * *

_Chapter Fourteen – Freedom_

Melissa stayed by Truman's side with Celeste while Harry steered the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. No one spoke, the only sound being Truman's groans and gasps from his stretcher. His left arm had been bandaged, but the poison from the spider was still working its way through his body. Everyone was in what Melissa called panic-slash-calm mode, where everyone was worried and panicky on the inside, but on the outside they remained calm.

The Underground Clinic was stationed in England, but there were numerous ways of entering. Luckily for them, there was an entrance in Australia, but it was all the way in Melbourne, Victoria. They would find the entrance in the Royal Botanical Gardens, which wasn't very convenient. It was a public place, so anyone could see them.

After what seemed like an eternity to Melissa, Harry announced, "We're here."

"Use the invisibility button," Melissa called weakly.

Harry nodded and pressed a blue button on the dashboard. The S.C.A.M.P.E.R. made a creaking noise, which told her that they were invisible to everyone outside. They landed in the middle of the walkway. Melissa hoped that no one would run into the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.

"I think only one of us should take Truman," Harry said. "The other two can go back, give the things to Anne-Marie, and then free Kellie and Thomas. I don't think Anne-Marie would like it if I wasn't there-"

"Alright, alright, we get the point," said Celeste angrily. "I'm going with you." She pointed at Harry.

"I'll take Truman," Melissa volunteered. "You guys be careful, okay?"

Harry and Celeste nodded and helped her lift Truman's stretcher down the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. steps. Once that was over and done with, she looked around. There was a gazebo right in front of her, which was exactly what she needed. She waved at the other two, who were now back in their seats and getting ready for take-off.

"Bye!" Celeste shouted from the window. "Be careful and call us if there are any problems!"

Melissa waved before running over to the gazebo. Checking to see if anyone was watching, she pressed a gray button on one of the pillars. It was so miniscule that she had to squint to see it. A few seconds passed, then a trap door opened in the middle of the gazebo floor.

"Here it goes," she whispered.

She gently pushed Truman and his stretcher down the hole. After she was sure he was a good distance ahead of her, she tucked in her legs and jumped in herself. Wind whistled past her as she fell down the clear tube that was cleverly built by previous operatives.

A good twenty minutes later, she had fallen into a sea of mattresses. It was comfortable and soft, but she didn't have any time to sleep. She jumped up and quickly searched for Truman. She spotted him in the hands of four doctors, who were rushing him up the corridor and out of sight.

Not wasting any time, she ran after them until she caught up with them. They were shouting out instructions to each other.

"Find the bite!"

"Take him to Room Seventy Zillion and One!"

"Get Doctor 803!"

"Who brought him here? He couldn't have come on his own. He's in too much pain!"

Melissa had to shout over the hustle and bustle. "That's me!"

One of the female doctors dragged her away from Truman just as they were about to go through a set of double doors.

"What happened exactly?" she questioned.

"We were on a mission in Australia when we were attacked. The guy we fought stabbed his left arm. When he was on the ground, the guy dropped a spider on him, which bit him. My teammates and I took him to the closest entrance, which was in Melbourne. It's been about an hour since he was bitten," Melissa recounted. "It was a, um... Red back, that's it.

The nurse nodded. "Stay here, Numbuh 52. I'll give you an update as soon we can." She disappeared through the doors.

Melissa didn't worry about how the nurse knew her codename. The Teens Next Door was small, so everyone knew everyone, who knew everyone else.

No, her only problem was Truman. This was the first time any of her teammates had been this ill. She didn't really count when Kellie had been sick when they were ten. That was a fake illness planted by Father. Truman's was real, and all she could do was wait and pray that he would come out alive.

She leant against the wall and slid down it, letting out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. She closed her eyes, breathing heavily.

"Numbuh 52? Melissa? What are you doing here?"

Melissa opened her eyes and looked up at Numbuh 679.

* * *

The ride back to the mountains was almost unbearable for Celeste. She was worried about Truman being sick, Kellie and Thomas being held hostage and Harry insisting on seeing Anne-Marie. It was all very exhausting.

Even though four years had passed, she had never forgotten about Anne-Marie. Just hearing the name could make her yell at the top of her lungs. She disliked, hated and _despised_ that name, but she hated the real person even more.

She saw Harry's point, though. If he went in, they would have the best chance of coming out alive. If _she_ went in, Anne-Marie would kill her on the spot. They had been bitter enemies ever since Harry had decided to date her. She remembered the hurt she'd felt and how she'd had to bite her tongue so her true feelings didn't spill out.

"It'll be fine, Celeste," Harry reassured from his piloting position. "She won't kill me."

"I know that," Celeste said. She had to keep herself from saying, _"But I hate the reason why._"

"So, while I'm inside with Anne-Marie, you'll go rescue Kellie and Thomas," said Harry.

"Yeah," Celeste said quietly.

They didn't speak much after that, which Celeste was rather happy about. She didn't want to relive the argument they'd had last time Anne-Marie had showed up.

They arrived at the mountain base sooner than she had anticipated. Harry went through the plan once more before passing her what looked like a pen, but she knew better. It was a laser the Teens Next Door scientists had invented to cut through metal. It was lucky Harry had received this in the first place. The scientists hadn't planned on giving it to him because he kept testing it on the laboratory walls.

"When you've cut the bars with that, come and find me. Thomas and Kellie might know the way."

Celeste only nodded. She watched as Harry opened the base door, the first four items in his hands. Once she couldn't see him anymore, she crouched down next to the white rectangle, which was still loose from when Truman had travelled down there. She hoped it was just as easy later.

She had confidence that she would land in a good position. After all, Truman had been okay. Sucking up her worry, she let herself fall into the hole. She landed on her bottom, which was fortunate. If it had been any other place she could be in more pain.

She stood up, rubbing her behind. She tried seeing if there were any obstacles ahead, but it was too dark. She withdrew a small torch from her pocket and flicked the switch.

'_That's better,_' she thought, starting to make her way forwards.

In a matter of minutes, she saw the metal ladder. She slowly climbed up, her torch between her legs. When she had reached the top, she picked the torch up with her right hand and directed it upwards. She saw the white rectangle and immediately pulled it down.

She blew a bit of hair out of her face in frustration when she saw the concrete above her. If she tried pulling this out, her finger would get jammed. Instead, she decided to push.

It took a few tries, but she finally felt the concrete move. She pushed it to one side and climbed out of the hole.

"Thomas, Kellie, are you there?" she whispered.

"Yeah," came Thomas' voice.

On one of the cells to the left, Celeste spotted the two captives. Remembering that Harry would only be able to delay Anne-Marie for so long, she took out the laser.

"Stand back," she instructed.

Kellie and Thomas moved to the back of the cell and watched as Celeste cut through the bars. It did its job well, and the bars were cut in three small minutes.

"Thanks, Celeste!" Kellie squealed, hugging her rescuer.

Celeste smiled. "No problem. Now, we have to get back to Harry. He's stalling Anne-Marie for us. Let's go!"

They ran to the door, but Celeste told them to stop.

"There aren't any guards around here, are there?" she asked.

Kellie shook her head and Thomas answered, "I heard Anne-Marie going on a rant about how only someone as powerful as her could keep hostages without guards."

Celeste rolled her eyes and said, "Okay, let's go."

* * *

_**Hope you enjoyed it. So, review. :D**_


	15. Mismatches

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door and I never will.**_

_**Another update! It's a bit shorter than I hoped. Enjoy!**_

_**Just a sidenote, Numbuh 679 is pronounced "Six seventy-nine". I'm not sure if people picked up on that. xD**_

* * *

_Chapter Fifteen – Mismatches_

Numbuh 679 looked as terrified as Melissa felt after she told him everything that had happened. She had started with Lizzie's suspicious actions and had ended with Truman coming to the Underground Clinic for treatment. All through the story, the Soopreme T. Leaduh's eyes had grown wider and wider.

"But how did they get out of limbo?" he asked.

Melissa shrugged. "I have no idea. The point is they escaped and are now threatening us."

Numbuh 679 bit his nails. "What were the items on that list again?"

"Metal, polish, a toolbox and nails," Melissa recited. "And I don't think those were part of the wild goose chase."

"Oh? What do you think they were for?" Numbuh 679 questioned.

"You remember when we were ten and I made that time machine that sent us back in time?" Melissa asked. Numbuh 679 nodded. "Those were some of the materials to make them."

Numbuh 679 lowered his hand from his face. "So she's making another time machine?"

"I think so," Melissa said, exasperated.

"She probably wants to go back in time and stop you from decommissioning your parents," Numbuh 679 assumed.

"Yeah," Melissa agreed. "That would mean the other timeline would be created again and she would have another chance to take over this one."

Just as Numbuh 679 was about to respond, the nurse Melissa had spoken to earlier walked out the double doors next to them. Melissa stood up so fast that she almost fell down again. She helped Numbuh 679 to his feet and waited for the nurse to deliver the verdict.

"We patched up his arm and gave him the antidote for the spider bite. He's going to be fine, but we're going to keep him in overnight for observation," she reported.

"Thank goodness," said Melissa, feeling as if a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

The nurse smiled at her, saluted to Numbuh 679 and marched back through the doors. Numbuh 679 gave Melissa a smile, which she returned.

"Well, that's a huge load off of my chest," breathed Melissa. "Now I need to get back to the others."

Numbuh 679 twisted his mouth and gave her a look of concern. "You sure you don't want to stay here for a bit? That was a lot to go through. I know what Truman means to you."

"Yeah, he's like a little brother to me."

This didn't have the reaction Melissa thought it would. She was expecting Numbuh 679 to give her a knowing smile and nod, but instead he choked on his own saliva.

"What's wrong?" Melissa asked.

"Well, I just thought – I mean – but you two are always together!" he spluttered.

Melissa laughed. "No, he's just like my brother. Don't worry; you're not the first person that's thought that."

She was used to this. A lot of the Teens Next Door and, when they were younger, Kids Next Door operatives thought she and Truman had crushes on each other. The truth was that while their other teammates were running around in their little love circles, Melissa and Truman had been left to watch on the sidelines. Not that they had minded, of course. They thought it was all very amusing.

Numbuh 679 blinked a few times. "...I see."

Melissa smirked and pulled her cap down to cover her eyes. "After all, I always thought you, of all people, would pick up on who I like."

"Huh?"

"I gotta go and beat up a little girl and her toys, you coming?"

"No – yes – wait, what? Hey, wait up!"

* * *

Thomas kept his hands to his sides as he stood flat against the wall. Kellie was behind him, holding his hand. Celeste was in front, peering out of an archway. This archway was the second entrance into the control room where Harry and Anne-Marie were.

"Harry's going to nod at me when he wants us to come out," Celeste murmured, turning back to them.

Thomas was about to ask how Harry had given her that information without attracting Anne-Marie's attention, but decided not to. For all he knew, Celeste and Harry could have had a telepathic connection. They certainly had enough love power for it.

"Wait for it... Wait for it... Go – wait, no... Okay, now go!"

The three of them ran through the arch shaped doorway to Anne-Marie, who didn't have any time to react as they held her arms behind her back. She squirmed, but couldn't seem to break free.

"Nixon! Father! Get your serving bottoms over here!" she demanded in a voice so loud that it almost made Thomas let go so he could block his ears.

"Harry, get the materials out of here!" Celeste shouted.

Anne-Marie smirked. "Oh, look who it is. How are you, Celeste? Made any progress with your _love life_ lately?"

Celeste's grip on Anne-Marie grew tighter. Kellie whispered, "She's trying to provoke you, Celeste. Take no notice of it."

"I plan on making Harry mine after this is all over," Anne-Marie continued. "Not to worry. I'm sure you'll find a nice janitor who can put a loaf of stale bread on the table every night. In the meantime, I'll marry Harry and we'll have three kids who look just like me."

That did it. Celeste pushed Anne-Marie into the side of her giant control panel. Thomas winced. That would have to have caused searing pain in her abdomen. However, the criminal remained unperturbed. She grinned maliciously and kicked Celeste in the stomach, making her grip loosen.

Anne-Marie swivelled around and directed a punch at Celeste, who ducked just in time. Celeste kicked Anne-Marie's kneecap, making her sway on the spot.

Thomas looked away from them to see the others. Kellie kept edging towards the two girls, but had to back away fretfully whenever a random arm or leg came her way. Harry was paralysed, watching the two enemies fight each other as if it was some sort of phenomenon.

He stood on his tiptoes so he could see over Anne-Marie's head. He found the list items lined up against a wall. He made sure Anne-Marie was still engrossed in the fight before creeping over there. He had almost reached the items when someone shouted from behind him.

Nixon was standing in the arch doorway, staring at Thomas with a look of pure horror on his face. He shook his head and ran towards Thomas, who shielded the objects.

"Get out of the way!" Nixon shouted.

Thomas scowled. "Absolutely not!"

"Fine, have it your way."

Thomas was expecting Nixon to try and kick him down, so it was easy to evade him. Both of them tried to punch each other, and both succeeded. They narrowed their eyes before pouncing on top of each other to wrestle.

* * *

_**And the fighting begins! Just think, two more chapters, plus the epilogue, and it'll all be over. D:**_


	16. Schoolgirl Crush?

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door and I never will.**_

_**This chapter is the shortest I have ever written for this story. I promise the next chapter will be longer. T.T**_

* * *

_Chapter Sixteen – Schoolgirl Crush?_

Harry was completely frozen and unable to move. He knew that Celeste, Thomas and Kellie were going to capture Anne-Marie from behind, but he didn't expect Celeste to start fighting her. Of course, he should have known it would happen. Those two had been enemies back when Celeste still liked him. What were they arguing about now?

"He's mine!" Anne-Marie shouted, her face going red. "If you keep this up, he'll be the only one spared!"

"Oh, please, you're not going to win and you know it," Celeste retorted, sending a punch to Anne-Marie's head.

Anne-Marie rubbed her face as she kicked Celeste in the shin. "What are we talking about here, my world domination plan or your pathetic little schoolgirl crush?"

"What do you mean "schoolgirl crush"? That's such an understatement! I've had a crush on him since I was eight and I knew I was definitely in love with him when I was thirteen! You have no right to call me pathetic!" ranted Celeste.

Harry's eyes widened. '_What? She has to be lying. She's trying to prove Anne-Marie wrong by lying, right? Yeah, that has to be it. There's no way she would say that out loud._'

Celeste's words had been a cure to Harry's immobilisation. He ran to where Kellie was standing near the fighting girls. This new revelation had caused the opposite reaction with Kellie. She was gaping at Celeste with her mouth wide open, not able to do much else.

Harry tapped Kellie on the shoulder. "Kellie, you try and get the items to throw them out."

Kellie nodded numbly and ran where Thomas and Nixon were wrestling on the floor. Harry watched her for a few more seconds before turning back to Celeste and Anne-Marie, who hadn't noticed him there.

Anne-Marie saw him first. "Hi, Harry," she giggled, waving at him. This gave Celeste enough time to push her onto the ground.

Harry wasted no time while Anne-Marie was down. He grabbed Celeste's arm and dragged her to where the rest of their teammates were. Father had now thrown himself into the mix by fighting Kellie for the items, but where he had come from, Harry didn't know.

"Ouch!"

Harry looked over at Thomas, who had been pinned down by Nixon. His right arm was at such an odd angle that Harry felt nauseous just looking at it.

"You little boyfriend stealer!" Anne-Marie bellowed, running to Celeste and jumping on her back.

"He broke up with you four years ago!" Celeste pointed out. She did a handstand, making Anne-Marie fall off her back.

Harry was about to stop them fighting when a loud noise echoed through the base. In a second, the wall to the left of him collapsed, as did most of the roof. A S.C.A.M.P.E.R. landed on the ground, but not before the doors burst open to reveal Melissa and Numbuh 679. They jumped off without using the stairs.

"Looks like we got here just in time!" Melissa screamed over the racket.

She and Numbuh 679 ran to Kellie and Father first, who didn't hear them coming. This was fortunate because it meant Father had no time to prepare himself when Numbuh 679 pounced on him. Melissa kicked the list items over and over again so they were damaged beyond repair.

Harry, who had been watching the whole spectacle with his mouth wide open, came to his senses. He pushed Anne-Marie into a pile of old wood that had been left there by the base's previous owners. She hit her head on the corner of a piece of wood, making her lose her consciousness.

Satisfied, he went to do the same to Nixon, but he had already been beaten by Kellie, who had knocked the boy out cold.

"Don't you _dare_ touch my boyfriend," she snarled.

Numbuh 679 tied Father (who was now unconscious as well), Nixon and Anne-Marie up and hauled them into the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. He returned with a stretcher for Thomas, who refused to take it because he could still walk. However, a glare from Kellie changed his mind.

After he boarded the S.C.A.M.P.E.R., Harry saw Kellie pull Celeste to a corner. He guessed it was to confirm that Celeste really was lying about what she said. His stomach did a flip and he mentally told it to shut up.

"So, how did you get here, Numbuh 679?" Thomas asked, wincing as Kellie examined his arm.

"I saw Melissa at the Underground Clinic while she was waiting for Truman," Numbuh 679 replied, sitting down in the pilot's seat. "I talked to her for a bit and decided to come here to help out."

"How is Truman?" Kellie questioned.

"He's gonna be fine. The nurse gave him the antidote for the spider's poison and his arm's okay," answered Melissa, walking to the pilot's seat. She kicked Numbuh 679 off. "What do you think you're doing?"

Numbuh 679 frowned. "Driving the S.C.A.M.P.E.R., why else would I be in this seat?"

Melissa frowned. "Not after that crashlanding back there."

"That wasn't a crashlanding!"

"It kind of was," Harry said, smiling slightly. The others nodded.

Numbuh 679 sighed in defeat. "Fine, Melissa can fly it."

Melissa gave a satisfied smirk. "That's more like it. What do you say we go and visit Truman? He should be awake by now."

Everyone voiced their agreement and Melissa started the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.'s engine. In a few seconds they were off through the sky.

* * *

_**There you go! I'm going to take this opportunity to explain some things.**_

_**One: Harry didn't see Father come into the room because he used a door from the ceiling that he closed on the way down.**_

_**Two: Since Harry and Nixon are supposed to have the same sunglasses, it should have caused a riff in the timeline, but Nixon's are actually ones he bought himself.**_

_**Three: Kellie was shocked at Celeste, not because she said she loved Harry (everyone knew that), but because she wasn't expecting her to say it so loud in public.**_

_**So, review. :D  
**_


	17. In The End

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door and I never will.**_

_**Here we are, the last chapter before the epilogue. Enjoy it. ^^**_

* * *

_Chapter Seventeen – In The End_

Truman was as bored as heck. Lying in a hospital bed was definitely not his favourite past time. He had asked the nurse if he could at least stretch his legs, but she scolded him. He had remained quiet after that.

He was still awake when the team and Numbuh 679 arrived at the Underground Clinic. He was pale and definitely weak, but he still managed to smile at them as they walked inside.

"So, I guess you won over the bad guys, right?" Truman guessed.

Harry grinned. "Naturally."

"And Celeste said–"

Celeste hastily clamped her hand over Kellie's mouth. Kellie gave her a frustrated look, but didn't bother trying to say anymore. Truman was confused, as was Melissa and Numbuh 679. Harry became very interested in the crinkles in his shirt.

When Celeste had taken her hand away, Kellie said, "Um, never mind."

"Where's Thomas?" Truman questioned.

Melissa replied, "He broke his arm, so he's just getting it patched up."

Truman nodded, but he wasn't finished. "What's going to happen to Father, Anne-Marie and Nixon?"

"At the moment, they're being watched by some of the guards stationed here. If they wake up, I'll be notified," answered Numbuh 679. "The base they were using is being searched."

Truman wasn't stupid. He could tell that Numbuh 679 was avoiding the question. "Yeah, but what will happen to them when it's time for their punishment?"

Numbuh 679 hesitated. "Um, well, we can't send them back into limbo 'cause they'll just break out again. If we lock them up in the Stonehenge prison, they can just as easily break out of there. I mean, limbo is the highest containment force there is. So, if we can't keep them here..."

"Jeremy!" Kellie exclaimed, aghast. "You're not going to execute them, are you?"

"I don't want to!" Numbuh 679 defended. "It's just that there's nowhere else for them to go."

Sector 22 exchanged glances, each of them searching for an answer on the others' faces. They didn't find any. Finally, Harry spoke up.

"I guess you're right. I just don't want to witness it, okay?"

Numbuh 679 smiled sadly. "Thanks, Harry."

A nurse barged inside, looking stressed. "Numbuh 40 needs some sleep now, even more so than normal members. We can't have one of our best operatives in hospital any longer than he needs to be."

* * *

The team had been forced to stay at the Underground Clinic because the doctors insisted on them getting a check-up. They were all okay in the end, besides a few cuts and bruises. Afterwards, Numbuh 679 had gone to tell the guards what to do with the criminals. He still hadn't returned. Thomas had come back with his arm in a sling. Now they were sitting on the carpeted ground, just resting.

Celeste sighed and leaned back on the wall. She was sitting apart from everyone, gathering her thoughts. She was extremely embarrassed by what she had said to Anne-Marie back at the base. She hadn't even realised she had said it until Kellie told her in the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. Now Harry knew all her feelings. She was dead meat.

She watched Kellie fuss over Thomas and his arm. A light bulb clicked in her head.

"Wait, aren't you guys together now?" she asked. She vaguely remembered Kellie calling Thomas her boyfriend. She could have been wrong. Her mind had been going frantic back then.

Kellie grinned and blushed. Thomas lowered his head, but Celeste saw his face turn red.

"Yeah, we are," Kellie replied.

Celeste laughed for the first time in hours. "Finally. I was wondering when you guys would get together. Did you know that Melissa's been calling you "The Drilovskys" behind your back?"

"Don't tell them about that!" Melissa said, but she was laughing too. "Besides, the rest of you have been doing it too."

Kellie started having a pretend hissy fit. Celeste laughed and looked at the others, immediately locking eyes with Harry. He stood up and motioned with his head for her to do the same. She sighed, knowing what was coming, but followed him anyway.

He led her to a deserted corridor, just around the corner from the others. He stood there, staring at the ceiling for a good minute before speaking.

"I just need to know if you were serious about what you said to Anne-Marie," he said.

Celeste told him what she had told Kellie earlier. "I didn't even realise what I was saying. I'm sorry, okay?"

"So, in other words, everything you said wasn't true," Harry assumed.

'_No, it was a hundred percent true,'_ thought Celeste, but she answered, "N – No."

Harry ran a hand through his hair. "I – I thought so. Thanks, Celeste."

He was about to push past her, but she stopped him. She'd felt a sudden surge of courage. If she didn't say it now, she would never be able to.

"Fine, I wasn't lying, okay? Everything was true–"

"You don't have to make me feel better, Celeste. There's no need to lie now."

"But I'm not – wait, make you feel better? How am I making you feel better?"

Harry pursed his lips and Celeste was sure he hadn't intended to say anything. She looked at the ground, silently hoping he would speak. When he did, it was in a very low voice.

"You were telling the truth?"

"Yes."

"You've really had a crush on me since you were eight and you've been in love with me since you were thirteen."

"Yes."

Three seconds later, Celeste was being filled with joy. Harry had taken the leap to kiss her and she was loving every minute of it. Sure, she had been kissed before, but that was an entirely different story. That had been some stupid boy who broke up with her a few weeks later. This was Harry. _Harry_.

"Oh, finally!"

Celeste and Harry broke apart and swivelled around to see Kellie, Thomas and Melissa sticking their heads around the corner. They were beaming so much that Celeste thought their faces would fall off.

"Oh, sorry, were we interrupting?" Thomas asked, feigning guilt.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You think?"

Numbuh 679's head popped around the corner as well. "What's happening?"

"Harry and Celeste are finally together," Melissa answered.

"About time."

"I know, right?"

* * *

"All of them are together now," Numbuh 679 stated.

Melissa nodded. "Yep."

"Damn," Numbuh 679 muttered.

Melissa looked at him, surprised. "What? This is a good thing."

"I lost the bet," Numbuh 679 said, crossing his arms. "I was so close, too. I bet that Kellie and Thomas would get together next month and that Celeste and Harry would get together next year."

"You're an idiot," Melissa insulted, laughing as Numbuh 679 looked at her with mock hurt.

After Melissa had stopped laughing, Numbuh 679 said, "There's something I still don't understand. If you don't like Truman, who _do_ you like?"

Melissa made a "tsk" noise, shook her head, and walked towards the two happy couples.

"What? What did I say?"

* * *

_**Ah, Jeremy, Jeremy, Jermy. What are we gonna do with you? *Shakes head*  
**_

_**Well, we have the epilogue left, but after that I'm going to put up a story that contains oneshots with these characters. Review. ^^**_


	18. Epilogue

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door and I never will._**

**_Here we are, it's the end. *Blows nose*_**

* * *

_Epilogue_

A month and a half later, it was Christmastime. No one had heard from the enemies, and no one ever would. They were long gone, leaving everyone in peace.

Last month, Lizzie Devine never thought she would live to see Christmas. However, she was now sitting in front of the television, watching sappy Christmas specials and waiting for her parents to arrive. To her, everything was as it should be.

But she couldn't help wondering how those children had managed to defeat her blackmailers.

* * *

"Harry, we're leaving!"

"I'm coming, mum!"

Harry ran out of his room and down the hallway. He stopped when he got to the stairs and slid down the banister. Unfortunately, he fell off towards the end and landed on the floor. He groaned and stood up to face his parents, who were both looking at him with their eyebrows raised. His younger brother was laughing and pointing at him.

"Harry, how many times have I told you not to slide down the stairs?" Nigel asked.

Rachel shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Nigel. He's going to keep doing it anyway."

Harry grinned. His mother knew him well.

The Uno family put their winter coats on and walked to the car. They were going to the Beatles house, which wasn't too far away. Each Christmas, the six families would gather at one of the family's homes. This tradition had started before Harry was born, and that was when there were only five families. Truman's family had only been included recently.

Celeste came running to the car after it had parked in front of the house. She greeted Harry by kissing his cheek.

"Merry Christmas," she said, smiling.

"Merry Christmas," said Harry. "I have a surprise for you."

He walked back to the car and dived into the backseat. He returned with a small pink parcel, which he presented to Celeste.

"Ew, pink," she remarked.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Just open it."

Celeste took no care in removing the wrapping paper. Underneath the paper was a small black box. She gave him a questioning look, but he gestured for her to go on. She pulled it open and smiled. It was a small, red necklace.

"What a coincidence," she said. "Melissa gave a red headband and Kellie gave me a red dress."

"That wasn't a coincidence," Harry stated.

Celeste's eyes widened. "You mean – but they – you worked – you're awesome, you know that?"

Harry gave her a hug, which she returned gratefully. They stood there for a minute before letting go.

"Yeah, I'm just that awesome."

"Oi, don't spoil the moment."

* * *

The next hour was spent exchanging presents and generally chatting. The teenagers were bored with their parents talking about politics and the weather, so they decided to watch television in the living room with the younger children, who weren't really paying attention anyway. After half an hour, a phone rang.

"That would be Melissa," said Melissa. She picked up the phone. "Hello?"

The other members of the team watched as Melissa listened to the caller. As she listened, her smile grew wider and wider. By the end, she was between smiling sweetly and smirking. It looked very strange indeed.

"Oh, ya do, Jeremy? Enlighten me."

The others gave each other shocked looks. Jeremy was calling? On Christmas, of all days? Everybody in the Teens Next Door had Christmas off. Surely, he couldn't be calling for a mission?

Melissa, who was still smiling, pretended to play with her nails. "Okay, see you tomorrow." She hung up.

"Tomorrow? What's he gonna make us do tomorrow?" Harry asked.

"Not you," Melissa began. "He means me. I have a date with him tomorrow."

Kellie squealed. "Yes! Now we've all got someone!"

All eyes turned to Truman, who was currently trying to make himself smaller. Kellie put her hand to her mouth and looked at Thomas, who was stifling a laugh.

"I wasn't supposed to say that," she admitted.

"So, who did you meet, Truman?" Harry inquired.

Truman blushed. "W – Well, there was this girl called Rebecca at the science competition and–"

"Ah, nerd love," Harry commented. "So beautiful. But how did Kellie find out?"

Kellie giggled, her blabbering forgotten. "Thomas and I went to that new ice-cream place in town and we saw them there. We promised not to tell anyone, but we kind of failed at that."

"Speaking of you and Thomas, when _are_ you going to tell your parents that you two are dating?" Celeste asked.

Kellie and Thomas blushed.

"We're still thinking," Thomas replied. "I don't want to get killed by Mr Beatles."

Kellie's gaze fell upon the younger children. They hadn't heard the conversation, much to her relief.

"Maybe we should go outside and talk about this," she suggested, tugging Thomas towards the door.

* * *

Wallabee Beatles grumbled to himself as he left the kitchen. He had lost at rock, paper, scissors, meaning he had to go and check on the children. It would have been okay if the match had been fair and square, but he was sure all of his friends had planned to choose rock.

He entered the rather noisy living room. "Everything okay in here?"

Kellie's younger sister, Nellie, rolled her eyes. "Yes, dad."

"Where's Kellie and Thomas?" Wally asked, looking around the room.

"Uh, they went outside to – to get some air," Celeste answered.

Wally couldn't help noticing that her eyes kept flickering to the window. He walked between all the children sitting on the ground and looked outside. He stood there for a few seconds, blinking. Then his face started going red.

"Patton! Kuki! Fanny! Did you guys know about this?"

Kuki, Fanny and Patton rushed into the living room, accompanied by the other adults. They all crowded around the window and saw the same thing, but had different reactions.

Kuki squealed, Fanny grinned and Patton screamed, "You go, son!" Wally, on the other hand, was speechless.

There was his daughter. Kissing a boy. On Christmas. In the snow.

"What the heck is going on here?"

Kellie and Thomas heard Wally's scream and whirled around to face the window. Their faces paled. They looked at each other and had a brief conversation before Thomas tore off down the street.

"Wow, what a Christmas," muttered Harry.

* * *

**_And there you go! It's over, but I'm going to put up a series of oneshots called 'Missing Time'. All the oneshots are going to be about Sector 22 and their family/friends. I don't wanna part with these characters. T.T_**

**_And yes, Kellie's little sister's name is Nellie. :3_**

**_Review!_**


End file.
